Blog Posts in 2011
45 results found. Viewing page 1 of 2.
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Posted on Dec 19, 2011 By Scott Distasio
Punitive damages are meant to punish bad conduct. Careless driving is not enough. Instead, in the State of Florida, to warrant punitive damages the driving conduct must be wanton or reckless. That ...
Continue reading "Naples, Florida Court Considers Texting While Driving Comparable to Drunk Driving" »
Posted on Dec 16, 2011 By Scott Distasio
A bendable steering tie rod in some Arctic Cat All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) can cause a loss of control resulting in an ATV rollover accident . The discovery has prompted a recall of almost 1400 XC 450 ...
Continue reading "ATVs Recalled for Defective Part that Could Cause Rollovers" »
Posted on Dec 12, 2011 By Scott Distasio
Florida's auto accident personal injury protection coverage was established in 1970 with the goal of reducing exploitation. Unfortunately it has recently been plagued by fraud and staged car ...
Continue reading "Florida Legislature Set to Look at Personal Injury Protection Reform" »
Posted on Dec 9, 2011 By Scott Distasio
12-year-old Mikayla Wiles, a Hillsborough County middle schooler, was jogging with her mother when tragedy struck. Mikayla and her mother were training for a half marathon at the time of the car ...
Continue reading "Gibsonton Middle School Pedestrian Hit By Car" »
Posted on Dec 5, 2011 By Scott Distasio
A chain-reaction car accident made Thanksgiving travel more difficult with long backups on southbound Interstate 275 at the Interstate 4 junction in Tampa. The accident included three cars and a semi ...
Continue reading "Chain-Reaction Accident in Tampa Complicates Thanksgiving Travel" »
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 By Scott Distasio
18-year-old Cullen Detamore was killed October 24 in a bicycle accident in Orlando when he lost control of his bike and was run over by a fire engine in Winter Park. Detamore was riding a bike ...
Continue reading "Orlando Bicyclist Riding Without Brakes Killed By Fire Engine" »
Posted on Nov 20, 2011 By Scott Distasio
In a recent blog I talked about a car accident that killed a Tampa couple. It was reported that the driver responsible for the collision, Eric McNeil, lost consciousness and therefore, lost control of ...
Continue reading "Was Driver's Seizure History Related to Deadly Tampa Car Accident?" »
Posted on Nov 15, 2011 By
This summer, Robin Westcott was put in charge of a work group to study the increases in payouts under Florida's no-fault insurance system. The group met with members of Governer Rick Scott's cabinet ...
Continue reading "Florida Lawmakers Seek to Address Personal Injury Protection "Fraud Tax"" »
Posted on Nov 3, 2011 By
The Sun Sentinel reported AAA recently released statistics showing teen car drivers are 50 percent more likely to be in a car accident in the first month they have their license than they are after ...
Continue reading "Teen Car Drivers Most Likely To Have Accident In First Month of Solo Driving" »
Posted on Oct 27, 2011 By
Nancy and Webster Farnsworth of Tampa, FL were returning from lunch in Clearwater when their minivan was struck by a pick up truck. They were enjoying a visit from their son, daughter-in-law, and ...
Continue reading "Car Accident Kills Tampa Couple, Leaves Others Injured" »
Posted on Oct 21, 2011 By
Florida's Emergency Contact Program is a database that allows residents to submit information about two people they would like to have contacted in the event of an emergency. This information can only ...
Continue reading "Florida Promotes Government Registered Emergency Contact Program" »
Posted on Oct 19, 2011 By
A school bus carrying 46 elementary school students collided with a car on South Florida Avenue near Fitzgerald Road in Lakeland. The Ledger reports the chain reaction crash involved four vehicles and ...
Continue reading "Lakeland School Bus Accident Fails to Draw Attention to the Bus Safety Belt Issue." »
Posted on Oct 13, 2011 By
The driver of a dump truck died last week after suffering a medical emergency on the road. According to Hernando Today , Charles Owen was traveling north on U.S. 41 when an undefined medical issue ...
Continue reading "Driver Dies After Truck Crash" »
Posted on Oct 7, 2011 By
Pamela Miclette spent September 24 shopping, unaware that a trip to a friend's house to borrow movies would lead to her death. That night as she made her way across the street in Auburndale, Florida ...
Continue reading "Hit-And-Run Accident Leaves Victim Dead" »
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 By
Last week, commissioners in Hillsborough County unanimously approved an ordinance that purportedly addresses fraud associated with the staged car crashes that have plagued the area. As I have ...
Continue reading "New Ordinance in Hillsborough County Addresses Insurance Fraud at the Source" »
Posted on Sep 23, 2011 By
While on vacation in July, the Johnson family of Palm Bay, FL was rear-ended as they were stopped at a red light. A speeding pickup truck slammed into the back of the family's van, crushing it and ...
Continue reading "Rear-End Collision Has Tragic Consequences" »
Posted on Sep 20, 2011 By
Safety groups, consumer advocates and doctors in California petitioned the U.S. National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require seat belts in school buses. Their petition was ...
Continue reading "NHTSA Rejects Calls for Seat Belts in School Buses Based on Cost" »
Posted on Sep 16, 2011 By
As I have discussed in previous blogs, staged car accidents are a serious problem in Florida. After deliberately causing typically either a rear-end accident or a sideswipe accident , con artists take ...
Continue reading "Are Car Insurance Carriers Using Staged Car Accidents as an Excuse to Deny Real Claims?" »
Posted on Sep 11, 2011 By
Just before 6 am on September 8, a semi-truck lost a wheel traveling northbound on I-95 starting a chain reaction of accidents that lead to a car catching fire and the death of a man. The wheel ...
Continue reading "Rear End Car Accident Leads to Car Fire and Death" »
Posted on Sep 7, 2011 By
Tampa Bay Online reported on a car accident that closed a 10-mile stretch of road early Monday morning. US 301 was closed in Tampa, Florida between McIntosh and Chancey roads from approximately 5:30 ...
Continue reading "Head-On Car And Semi-Truck Accident Closes US 301 in Tampa" »
Posted on Sep 5, 2011 By
The Sun-Sentinel.com reported on August 28 a 20 year old motorcycle rider, Ryan Squitieri, was killed in a motorcycle crash with a van on State Road 19. The van's driver, Andenescia Walters, had ...
Continue reading "Motorcycle Riding Can be Fatal" »
Posted on Aug 26, 2011 By
Sunshinestatenews.com reported recently that the Florida Cabinet has been discussing personal injury protection insurance (PIP) and the rising costs associated with the system. According to their ...
Continue reading "Florida Cabinet Members Seek PIP Reform" »
Posted on Aug 22, 2011 By
One of the videos in the Distasio Law Firm video vault addresses uninsured motorist coverage . It explains what uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM) coverage is and how it benefits you in the event of ...
Continue reading "Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage" »
Posted on Aug 7, 2011 By
Earlier this month, John Dahl was an average 14-year-old from Redington Shores. He and two friends went out with a wakeboard and a water scooter for an afternoon of fun. Both John and the scooter's ...
Continue reading "Boat Accident Leads to Amputation" »
Posted on Jul 25, 2011 By
Each year, a select group of car enthusiasts gather together to participate in the Bullrun Live Rally. According to Bullrun.com , the rally is an eight-day party that crosses the United States with ...
Continue reading "Car Rally Turns Dangerous In Orlando" »
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