November 24, 2010 – West Palm Beach, FL – West Palm Beach residents are concerned that Seminole Pratt Whitney Road is too dangerous, according to a report on WPBF.com.

On November 15, Andrew Busscher was on his bicycle when a car struck him on that road. As of November 19, he was comatose at St. Mary’s Medical Center.  

According to Tammy Neil, Busscher’s wife, he was bleeding internally and his pelvis was fractured. 

The bike accident is one of many that have occurred in the same location, perhaps because of the few sidewalks in place along the road. Bike lanes are absent in some areas of Seminole Pratt Whitney, as is the case where Busscher was struck. Also, because of the overgrowth of grass, bicyclists are forced into the regular travel lanes where they must attempt to share space with motor vehicles. 

Neil has expressed frustration with the stretch of Seminole Pratt Whitney from 60^th Street to Seminole Ridge Community High School. This part of the road lacks favorable conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists.  

In October, a school bus struck Ryan Garcia, 17, on Seminole Pratt Whitney. The Seminole Ridge Community High student had to be hospitalized, but he has recovered from his injuries.    

Residents say they have fought for change, yet nothing has evolved from their pleas. 

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ 2009 Traffic Crash Statistics Report, there were 197,214 traffic crashes resulting in injury and 2,563 fatalities as a result of vehicle accidents in Florida.

As a service to the residents of South Florida, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in South Florida that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.

Common accidents include, but are not limited to:

• single-car accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• accidents caused by distracted drivers or aggressive driving.

If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim’s family member or friend and would like the blog posting removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.

November 24, 2010 – South Florida – Aggressive driving and road rage are growing issues in South Florida, particularly on heavily traveled roadways like Interstates 95 and 75.

A story from SunSentinel.com details issues related to the apparent rise in road rage. According to a 2007 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aggressive driving has increased 51% in the past 2 decades and was a factor in two-thirds of vehicular fatalities. Additionally, Florida was among the most notorious states for aggressive drivers.

Additionally, a 2010 survey conducted by GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test revealed that 25% of drivers in Florida are likely to fail the written driver’s license exam. 

Two incidents on November 15 underscore some of the issues of aggressive driving and road rage in South Florida in particular. The first incident was on I-95. According to Hollywood police, Don Shaul Cohen, 18, of Plantation, suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder, which led to him crash his Chevy Tahoe. 

Several hours after the I-95 incident, there was another incident near Miami Lakes on I-75. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Vahid McLaughlin, 37, of Weston, shot Itamar Silva, 40, of Virginia, who was en route to the airport.  Raphael Cardozo, Silva’s nephew, was driving. 

Police said road rage led the men to exit their vehicles and fight on I-75, at which time Silva was shot with a .40 caliber gun. Silva has been hospitalized and McLaughlin faces an attempted murder charge. 

The SunSentinel.com story details other cases of aggressive driving and road rage in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties:  

• In 2008 – road ranger Yves Rho witnessed 2 vehicles cut off one another and race on I-95 in central Broward County. The race ended when one driver sideswiped the other and took off, Rho said. Although he has never witnessed motorists exchange gunfire, Rho said he has seen violent tailgaters leaning on the horn and cutting off drivers.
• In July 2010 – a teenage driver in Lake Worth had a heated verbal exchange with a motorcyclist. The teen attempted to hide, but the motorcyclist, who was armed, found him and shot twice. The gunshot wounds led to a 2-day hospital stay.
• In August 2010 – shots were fired from an SUV in south Broward County. The target: a Greyhound bus with 25 passengers en route to Orlando. FHP has not called that incident road rage.
• In 2009 – Samuel Ferguson, 47, of North Miami, was fatally shot from another vehicle on Florida’s Turnpike near Griffin Road. Davie police are still investigating.

Alexander Annunziato, an FHP lieutenant, said road rage has increased in the past decade. In Miami-Dade, he said, the FHP receives about 15 cell phone calls each shift from frightened drivers reporting aggressive motorists.

Authorities say the best thing to do is breathe deeply and drive away when a motorist tries to provoke you.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ 2009 Traffic Crash Statistics Report, there were 197,214 traffic crashes resulting in injury and 2,563 fatalities as a result of vehicle accidents in Florida.

As a service to the residents of South Florida, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in South Florida that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.

Common accidents include, but are not limited to:

• single-car accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• accidents caused by distracted drivers or aggressive driving.

If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim’s family member or friend and would like the blog posting removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.

November 17, 2010 – Palm Beach County, FL – A man from Boca Raton who was charged in a wrong-way crash that killed a woman in 2008 is now a fugitive, the Florida Highway Patrol has announced.

James Baker was expected to go to court and plead guilty to charges of DUI manslaughter for 2 motor vehicle accidents that occurred June 6, 2008.

Rather than go to court, the 67-year-old man managed to cut off an ankle monitor and flee, The Palm Beach Post has reported.

The accidents happened when Baker was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 near Yamato Road. He caused an SUV to run off the highway and the vehicle turned over, ejecting 3 of 5 passengers.

Christina Duvalsaint, 23, of Plantation, was pronounced dead on the scene. Baker continued driving and hit another SUV near the overpass by Clint Moore Road. The driver of the SUV and Baker were injured in that crash, court records stated.

Baker had already been charged with DUI, speeding and driving with a suspended or revoked license before the accidents.

Authorities are seeking the public’s help in locating Baker. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-458-8477.

According to the 2009 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Traffic Crash Statistics Report, there were 197,214 traffic crashes resulting in injury and 2,563 fatalities as a result of vehicle accidents in Florida.

As a service to the residents of South Florida, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in South Florida that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.

Common accidents include, but are not limited to:

• single-car accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• accidents caused by distracted drivers or aggressive driving.

If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim’s family member or friend and would like the blog posting removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.

November 17, 2010 – Boca Raton, FL – An 83-year-old man has died after losing control of his luxury vehicle and crashing into a Mack truck at a construction zone, the Boca Raton Police Department has reported.

The fatal accident happened shortly after midnight on November 11. Charles West, of Boca Raton, was on Federal Highway’s 5400 block traveling north in a 2006 Bentley, The Palm Beach Post has reported.

When West approached the construction area at Federal Highway’s 4700 block, he failed to maintain control of the car. He continued driving toward Yamato Road and hit the back of a dump truck that was driven by Mario Guzman, 59, of Miami Gardens, according to police.

When Guzman was struck, he was stopped on the inside of a lane that was blocked. The accident forced the Bentley to veer east before it came to a stop. The truck was partially forced onto the grass median, the accident report stated.

Fire Rescue said West died at the scene. Guzman did not suffer any injuries.

Police are requesting that any witnesses call traffic investigator Chris Somers:  561-620-6141.

According to the 2009 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Traffic Crash Statistics Report, there were 197,214 traffic crashes resulting in injury and 2,563 fatalities as a result of vehicle accidents in Florida.

As a service to the residents of South Florida, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in South Florida that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.

Common accidents include, but are not limited to:

• single-car accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• accidents caused by distracted drivers or aggressive driving.

If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim’s family member or friend and would like the blog posting removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.

November 10, 2010, Boca Raton, FL – An elderly man from suburban Boca Raton has died after he sustained critical injuries in an October car crash, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported on November 4, 2010.

Ralph Lessman died on the morning of November 3 at a center where he was receiving hospice care, The Palm Beach Post reported. The 86-year-old was injured on October 20 in a collision where Central Park Boulevard North intersects with State Road 7.

The report from the Sheriff’s Office stated that Lessman was on State Road 7 southbound. As he approached Central Park Boulevard North, he turned and entered the path of a vehicle that was northbound. That vehicle, a Toyota Camry, rammed into his Honda Accord.

Lessman was transported to West Boca Medical Center, and then hospice, the Sheriff’s Office said. 

The Camry’s driver, Rashida Abdullah, 21, was not injured.

Charges have not been filed. The fatal car accident remains under investigation.

According to the 2009 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Traffic Crash Statistics Report, there were 197,214 traffic crashes resulting in injury and 2,563 fatalities as a result of vehicle accidents in Florida.

As a service to the residents of South Florida, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in South Florida that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.

Common accidents include, but are not limited to:

• single-car accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• accidents caused by distracted drivers or aggressive driving.

If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim’s family member or friend and would like the blog posting removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.