West Palm Beach Legal Blog

In Florida and beyond, there are typically more motor vehicle collisions during holiday seasons. One of several reasons might be that many people tend to increase their consumption of alcohol on festive occasions. Some of them, unfortunately, then make irresponsible decisions to get behind the wheels of their vehicles to drive, which greatly increases the risk that a fatal auto accident might occur. 

Judgement, vision and reaction are three of the most important skills drivers use to safely arrive at their destinations. If any of these skills is impaired, the results may be disastrous because the likelihood of collision is greatly increased. Police typically arrest more than a million drunk drivers in Florida and across the country every year.

When many Florida residents get behind the wheel of their car, they are trying to get somewhere they need to be, often in a hurry. Driving is a common and convenient way for you and many others to get to your intended destinations, but it is also a dangerous activity. Many people become complacent about the dangers of driving, but they are there every time someone hits the road.

Because there is such complacency when it comes to driving, many people make serious mistakes while behind the wheel. They may think either that what they are doing is not dangerous or that a momentary action will not have any major consequences. However, that is often not the case, and serious car accidents could occur because of those actions.

On a recent Friday, at approximately 8 p.m., a man's life was devastated. He had been traveling in Florida with his wife, who was driving their vehicle at the time. The events that unfolded led to criminal charges against another woman, whose mother appeared in court to ask the judge for leniency.

The vehicle carrying the man and his wife was reportedly hit hard from behind. The sudden impact sent the couple's car barreling over a median, then sending it into multiple rolls before it halted after crashing into a fence. The man was treated and released from a nearby hospital after suffering minor injuries.

It's safe to assume that a car accident occurs somewhere in Florida every day. At times, you may be at greater risk for being involved in such an incident, such as when you approach a busy intersection or are traveling in congested traffic on a highway. There may be little to nothing you can do to avoid getting hit, especially if a distracted or drunk driver is in your midst. If you suffer car accident injuries that are moderate to severe, it can have a significant negative impact on your life in the weeks or months that follow the collision.

Were you driving along, and the next thing you knew, you were in the back of an ambulance, fading in and out of consciousness? The sudden impact of a collision can result in any number of injuries, including concussion or traumatic brain injury, lacerations, whiplash and more. Not all injuries are immediately apparent, which is why many people are not aware that they have suffered a traumatic brain injury until hours or days after they were involved in a car accident.