Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
A 27-year-old Tampa, Florida woman and her unborn baby were killed Wednesday night after a car struck them from behind.
The woman and her unborn baby were taken to Tampa General Hospital where doctors performed an emergency cesarean section, but the baby died shortly after birth. The woman was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The woman, who was six months pregnant was supposedly with a 24-year-old woman pushing their baby girls in strollers down an unlit street Wednesday night when they were struck from behind by a car.
The 27-year-old woman and her 14-month-old daughter were transported by helicopter to Tampa General where the girl was being treated for life-threatening head and lung injuries. As of Thursday morning, the toddler was in critical condition.
The 24-year-old woman and her 22-month-old daughter were in stable condition at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The woman suffered a cut to the head and a knee injury, while her child suffered
superficial injuries.
The accident supposedly occurred at 7:44 p.m. on a stretch of road that has no sidewalk with the nearest street lights almost a block away.
According to police, the two women and their toddlers were hit by a 1999 Lincoln Continental as they crossed the street.
The front of the man’s car struck all four pedestrians. The man allegedly pulled over immediately and dialed 911.
The 25-year-old driver apparently did not see the pedestrians.
Tampa police allege the man was not speeding and had his headlights on. Blood was supposedly drawn from the driver at the scene as a matter of routine investigation.
The area where the tragic collision occurred is supposedly a known trouble spot. The accident has prompted the Tampa City Council to take action on what it can do to put in sidewalks.
The driver has supposedly received two speeding tickets within the past year, a seat belt violation and a conviction for failing to stop at a traffic sign or device, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
According to the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, 4,092 lives were lost in pedestrian motor vehicle accidents in 2009. While the number of pedestrian deaths fell from 5,228 fatalities in 1998 to 4,092 in 2009, that number translates to almost 11 deaths every day of the year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009 a pedestrian accident was reported every nine minutes on average, totaling 59,000 injuries.
Motorists must exercise reasonable care when behind the wheel of an automobile. A failure to do so is considered negligence. Driver negligence can occur due to several factors, the most common being:
• Inattentiveness
• Failure to follow posted speed limits
• Failure to yield the right of way to pedestrians
• Disobeying traffic signs or signals
• Failing to signal when executing a turn
• Paying no mind to traffic and weather conditions
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
A person suffering injuries from a pedestrian accident may be able to recover damages for past and future medical expenses, wage loss and pain and suffering. If the driver exercised extreme negligence, then punitive damages may also be sought. If a pedestrian dies, family members are entitled to recover compensation for their loss.
Despite how obvious a pedestrian accident was a driver’s fault, insurance companies almost always try to blame at least part of the fault on an injured party. For this reason, it is critical to act promptly and contact a Florida Pedestrian Accident Attorney so that crucial evidence can be preserved and that you and your family’s rights remain protected.
If you or someone you love was injured or killed as the result of a pedestrian motor vehicle accident in the state of Florida, contact the Florida Pedestrian Accident Attorneys at Whittel & Melton, LLC online or call our Tampa office locally at 813-221-3200 or reach us statewide and toll-free at 1-866-608-5LAW (5529).