Orlando Personal Injury Attorney Blog

As 21-year-old Heather Meyer pulled towards an intersection and looked for oncoming cars. She saw faint headlights far in the distance. Thinking that the car was too far away, she felt she could safely make a left turn. As she pulled into the intersection, the oncoming car driven by a Broward Sheriff's Deputy T-boned the Honda Civic that she was driving, slicing the car in half.

In the moments before the car accident, the Deputy had accelerated from 24 to 87 mph to assist another officer with a traffic stop. However, the traffic stop was hardly an emergency, as it was for a burned-out tag light. The price of the Deputy's haste was the life of Meyer's 14-year-old stepsister, who was thrown 37 feet from the wreckage.

The Deputy was subsequently fired for his part in the accident and charges are pending against him for vehicular homicide and reckless driving.

Speeding Cops A Problem

Meyer's tragedy is the latest in a string of incidents where speeding Florida law enforcement officers have killed or maimed civilians. According to an investigation by the Sun Sentinel, although most officers are law-abiding and observe the law, the minority of scofflaws has killed at least 21 people since 2004.

In January 2012, a mix of smoke and fog caused a massive pileup accident on one of Florida's Interstates. As a result of the accident 11 people were fatally wounded and nearly 20 other drivers and passengers were injured.

The pileup occurred in the very early morning hours; and, sadly, this was not the first accident to occur that night on this stretch of road. Earlier in the overnight hours limited visibility caused a smaller accident that resulted in the authorities shutting down a stretch of the highway. After a few hours the road was reopened.

Yet, after the road was reopened, the visibility began to worsen, causing the pileup. One person involved in the accident told the Orlando television station WKMG that the road was clear until he "suddenly" ran into a "thick wall of smoke."

This accident is eerily reminiscent of a 70 car pileup accident on Florida's Interstate 4 (I-4) in January of 2008. After the 2008 accident, the Florida Department of Transportation began making improvements to I-4 in order to increase safety for all drivers and passengers.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Florida Highway Patrol held a press conference in Orlando to remind Floridians of the dangers of drunk driving, especially during the holidays.

MADD gives Florida four out of five stars for its work to fight drunk driving. This, of course, leaves room for improvement. One suggestion offered by MADD is to make ignition interlock devices mandatory for all drunk driving offenders - whether it is their first time or they are repeat offenders, whether their blood-alcohol level was 0.08 or much higher.

Florida's Drunk Driving Accident Rates

Florida lost hundreds of people to drunk driving last year. In the state alone, 774 people were killed by drunk drivers. Nationally, 11,000 people died because of drunk driving.

Many more are injured in drunk driving accidents. The severe injuries victims can sustain include amputations, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones and spinal cord injuries.

The Lakeland Ledger reports that rides at the soon-to-open Legoland Florida will not be inspected by state safety inspectors. Instead, the park's own employees will inspect its rides on a daily basis. Although self-inspection may raise concerns about ride safety, park officials say they are focused on preventing amusement park accidents.

Because Legoland will have 1,000 or more employees, it qualifies for an exemption from state inspection and permitting requirements under a law specifically created for large amusement parks in the state and Orlando area. However, the law also requires the amusement parks to employ full-time safety inspectors of their own.

Under the law, amusement parks' safety inspectors must inspect every ride at least once a year and provide information to the state about their inspections. The Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer services also reviews parks' inspection procedures to ensure they meet industry safety standards. If an accident occurs that results in overnight hospitalization, the accident must be documented in quarterly reports given state safety officials.