Automobile, Truck and Motorcycle Accidents

Automobile, truck, and motorcycle accidents are among the leading causes of death and injury in the United States.  Year after year, statistics show that vehicle accidents in Miami and across Florida are often caused by driver error, negligence, inattention, and fatigue.  In addition, car, truck and motorcycle accidents can be caused by improper road or highway signage or markings, and defective products, including tire tread separation, tire blowouts or other vehicle manufacturing defects.  The overall statistics are staggering:

• Car accidents. In 2009, vehicular accidents in the U.S. accounted for 30,797 fatalities.  Traffic Safety Facts 2009, U.S. Dept. of Trans., Nat’l Hwy. Traffic Safety Admin. (Early Ad. 2009). These included 17,640 drivers, 6,770 passengers, and 4,462 motorcyclists, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  In addition, more than 1.5 million people were hurt in motor vehicle accidents.  Non-motorists killed in accidents included 4,092 pedestrians and 630 bicyclists.

• Truck accidents. Trucks, tractor-trailers, buses, motor coaches, emergency response/fire trucks and other large vehicles involved in roadway and traffic accidents also account for a significant number of personal injuries and deaths. The U.S. Government reports that truck accidents cause about 130,000 injuries annually, with at least one fatality occurring in at least 98 percent of truck/semi-tractor-trailer accidents. The average cost of a commercial truck accident is nearly $60,000, and the cost to society of all such accidents exceeds $20 billion annually.  Negligence and human error is a leading cause or contributing factor in nine of ten commercial truck accidents.

• Motorcycle accidents. As motorcycles grow in popularity, the incidence of accidents, injury and death involving motorcycles is rising as well. Motorcycle rider fatalities rose 115% between 1997 and 2005, while fatalities and fatality rates for passenger car accidents actually fell, according to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety.  In 2009, accidents involving motorcycles resulted in almost 4,600 fatalities and 84,000 injuries. Florida state law does not require the use of helmets, and helmet use nationwide dropped to 54% in 2010, from 67% in 2009.  Traffic Safety Facts: Research Note, U.S. Dept. of Trans., Nat’l Hwy. Traffic Safety Admin. (2010). Statistics prove that helmets can help prevent death and serious injury. Helmets saved the lives of 1,483 motorcyclists in 2009, according to the NHTSA, and helmets generally prevent fatal injuries to drivers and passengers 37% and 41% of the time, respectively.

At the law firm of Grossman Roth P.A., our lawsuits involving motor vehicle accidents have resulted significant damage awards, including some of Florida’s largest jury awards, for our clients, and for those they leave behind. We have been staunch advocates for those who need help the most. We have also made a difference for people we have never met, by spurring changes to the law that have made the driving public safer.

As trial lawyers representing clients in state and federal courts in Florida and around the United States, we help people with serious personal injuries stemming from the operation of a car, truck, motorcycle, personal watercraft, or any other motorized vehicle, receive the just compensation to which they are entitled. Formed in 1988, the firm has an unrivaled record of favorable verdicts and multi-million dollar settlements for clients.  These include:

• A $37 million jury verdict against Florida Power and Light on behalf of the family of a teenage girl who died in a car accident in Pinecrest after an FPL crew cut power to a major intersection after a minor lawn fire.  After an FPL crewmembers disconnected power to the wire that supplied the traffic signal, our client’s car was hit by another vehicle.  She was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital where she died hours later.

• A $12.5 million jury verdict on behalf of the family of two young children and their grandfather, who were killed in an accident involving a truck.  The trucking company appealed, and the case was settled during the appellate process for $8.5 million.

• A $10 million settlement for the family of our client, who was killed when a transport truck failed to stop and crashed into his car.

• A $1.75 million judgment in Volusia County on behalf of Miami doctor who was permanently injured as a result of an automobile accident.

If you or a loved one has been injured, contact the Florida personal injury attorneys of Grossman Roth, P.A., today by calling 1-888-296-1681 for a free evaluation of your case.  Or, you can fill out the contact form on our website, and someone will contact you.