Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Since October 2021, Tampa’s Mobility Department has installed more than 100 4-way stop intersections throughout the city to curb the dangers present to drivers and pedestrians.

The latest 4-way intersections are focused around Plant High School. There are stop signs now at Himes Avenue at San Jose Street and W. Barcelona Street as well as one at San Miguel Street and Sterling Avenue at the school’s entrance.

Four-way stops are something that experts say make drivers slow down. This will not only help the schools, but also improve the neighborhoods – as drivers are forced to slow down.

The goal is to put an end to the high number of accidents and traffic deaths in the city of Tampa.

According to the latest crash data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), thus far into 2023 (24 days) Hillsborough County has seen 554 traffic accidents resulting in 3 deaths and 386 injuries. There have been 7 bicycle crashes, 16 motorcycle crashes, and 14 pedestrian accidents. There have been 2 pedestrian fatalities and 1 motorcycle crash fatality. There have been 137 hit and run crashes resulting in 34 injuries.

The FLHSMV report from 2022 shows that Hillsborough County saw 28,290 total traffic accidents resulting in 223 deaths and another 19,250 injuries. There were 476 bicycle accidents resulting in 18 fatalities. 2022 also saw 597 motorcycle crashes resulting in 44 deaths. There were 656 pedestrian accidents resulting in 58 deaths. Hit and run crashes totaled 7,484 resulting in 13 deaths and another 1,870 injuries. Continue reading

Insurance companies in America often market themselves as businesses who are looking out for you, but the truth is that these corporations are really looking out for their bottom line – making trillions of dollars annually from people like you paying your insurance premiums and then denying valid claims, rejecting various coverages, and increasing their premium costs.

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) conducted their own research into insurance companies by combing through court documents and interviewing former insurance company employees to narrow down the 10 worst insurance companies in America. Here are the rankings:

1. ALLSTATE: Here is a perfect example of a company who markets itself as a business that places you in “good hands,” but instead of living up to that promise they tell employees to make low offers for claims and use their team of lawyers to scare off claimants from going after the full and fair compensation they deserve. The CEO, Thomas Wilson, has openly said that the company’s main priority is to increase the wealth of its shareholders. Wilson earned more than $16,300,000 in 2019, but injured policyholders got far less than what they rightfully deserved or nothing at all due to the company’s unfair tactics and ambiguous language in their policies designed to trick policyholders into thinking they have certain coverages and blindsiding them when tragedy strikes because their claims will be denied.
2. UNUM: While you may not have heard of this disability insurance provider in the U.S., they are known for delaying and denying any claims presented to them, leaving those sick and injured with benefit denials. To break it down, Unum denied their own employee’s benefits following a diagnosis for multiple sclerosis. After three years of fighting with the company, the former employee sought legal counsel to get her valid claim accepted. Sadly, this just further drives home the point that you must get legal help to level the playing field with these insurance companies.
3. AIG: This company has been nicknamed the “New Enron” because they have multiple charges of multi-billion-dollar corporate fraud. They are also known for creating all kinds of unfair hoops for claimants to jump through to try and get their rightful benefits and have used questionable schemes in court proceedings.
4. STATE FARM: While this is the top-earning insurance company in the U.S., paying their CEO more than $8.5 million or more a year, they will go to any lengths possible to delay or deny very valid claims.
5. CONSECO (Subsidiaries PENN LIFE and BANKER’S LIFE): This insurance provider allegedly uses bad faith insurance practices (unfair conduct that exceeds negligence) to keep their pockets lined with cash. Former employees have shared stories of false advertising and unethical policies that are aimed at taking advantage of senior citizens.
6. ANTHEM (Formerly known as Wellpoint): You may know this insurance provider better from their Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans as well as others. They are notorious for cancelling policies of those battling chronic illnesses as well as pregnant women. Just like all the other insurance companies, Anthem is only out to protect their money, not their policyholders.
7. FARMERS: This multi-million-dollar company has been ranked as one of the worse home and auto insurance providers in the U.S. by Consumer Reports and JD Powers & Associates. Reports have indicated that this company gives their employees bonuses and raises for partaking in unethical business tactics to meet their low payment standards.
8. UNITED HEALTH: Much of this company’s success can be attributed to their partnership with AARP. They are known for creating obstacles for patients to get their medical care reimbursed, leaving them to find other ways to pay for their medical bills.
9. TORCHMARK/GLOBAL LIFE: This insurance provider focuses its policies on southern states, likes Texas and Alabama. Former employers have provided information that apparently shows they charge higher premiums for minority customers when compared to white customers. They also have allegations of defrauding senior policyholders.
10. LIBERTY MUTUAL: Another insurance company who uses shady and borderline illegal practices to keep the money rolling in. If you are seeing a pattern here, you are correct. Floridians should watch out for Liberty Mutual as they are known for abandoning policyholders after hurricane or tropical storms as well as refusing their renewals.

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David Gwynn, Florida’s regional transportation secretary, said that the state is looking to make the 13 mile stretch of highway from Tampa to Pasco County safer by installing three traffic signals at dangerous, crash-prone intersections.

The state is also researching how to widen the U.S. 301 due to the high number of accidents as well as future projections showing as many as 49,300 vehicles using the road by 2040.

Gwynn told the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization last week that when he drives U.S. 301 from Tampa to meetings in Pasco County that he finds himself often speeding just to keep up with other motorists sharing the highway and prevent them from erratically passing him.

Shortly after sharing the state’s plan – just 16 hours later – a four-vehicle crash happened on U.S 301 just before 3 a.m. killing two people and leaving two others with serious injuries. The accident caused the road between Zephyrhills and the Temple Terrace area to be closed off for over six hours.

According to state data, 16 people have died and another 338 have been injured in 464 crashes on U.S. 301 for a five-year span ending in 2019. This crash rate is twice the statewide average for similar roadways.

From 2015-2019, there were 24 head-on collisions on the highway, with speeding being identified as the main issue. Gwynn said that impatient drivers try to maneuver dangerous passing techniques that can result in serious crashes.

The plan to turn the two-lane road into a four-lane divided highway between State Road 56 in Pasco and Fowler Avenue is in the study stage, according to reports. There is no money currently budgeted for this estimated $199.5 million job.

There are also concerns about the speed limit and whether it should be reduced to 45 mph.

Head-on crashes happen when two cars strike each other from the front straight on. These are some of the most dangerous types of auto accidents, due to the fact that when two cars smash each other head-on this doubles the force of the impact. Imagine you are travelling at 60 mph on the highway and are struck by another car head-on travelling at the same speed of 60 mph. This is now the equivalent of a crash at 120 mph.

If you have been the victim of a head-on crash in the Tampa Bay area, that was no fault of your own, or if you have lost a loved one in a head-on smash up, then you need to enlist the help of a car accident lawyer as soon as possible. You want to make sure that you fully protect your rights, which includes your right to seeking financial compensation for your losses as a result of the accident you were involved in. Our Tampa Bay Car Crash Attorneys at Whittel & Melton can help you. We can walk you through your case and what to expect. We have a long history of working with injury victims and their families in Tampa Bay and throughout the state of Florida.

The more serious your injuries following a car accident, the more money you should be able to recover from the at-fault driver. The driver who caused the collision, or rather, their insurance provider, should be the ones to cover all of your mounting medical bills (both now and in the future), lost wages due to missing time from work, pain and suffering, or even wrongful death if your loved one was killed in the collision. Continue reading