car accidents

June 24, 2022

Four Things to Know About Turo Accidents in Miami

You know how popular the crowd-sharing business model is for people seeking accommodations, ride-hailing, e-scooter and bicycle sharing, and other services, so it should come as no surprise that the trend has hit the Miami rental car market. The leader in the field, Turo, was actually founded in 2009, so car sharing has actually been around for some time. For both renters and hosts, the tourism industry in South Florida is ideal. It is possible to get a good deal on the perfect car, truck, or van that suits your needs. Vehicle owners can supplement their income and make use of the extra cash.

However, just as legal issues emerged from other crowd-sharing services, there can be complications with renting through Turo if you are in a collision. There are multiple factors that can impact your rights, so it is smart to work with a Miami car sharing accidents lawyer who can assist with the process. Some information about liability, insurance, and other key topics in Turo crashes may also be useful.

Your Rights When Renting Through Turo

August 24, 2016

Trucking Accidents Part 1: Why is an Accident Involving a Commercial Truck More Likely to Cause Injury?

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Traffic accidents involving commercial motor vehicles can cause substantial injuries. Unfortunately, these accidents occur all too often. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that in 2014 there were 3,424 injuries in large truck crashes that resulted in at least one fatality while 82,000 of the accidents resulted in at least one nonfatal injury.

Commercial motor vehicles are subject to a variety of regulations both state and federal. Some of these include the number of hours a driver can operate and other physical conditions and limitations that passenger vehicles are not required to follow including acceleration, braking, and visibility-related issues which are all more likely to result in substantial injuries than accidents only involving passenger cars. There are several important factors to consider when analyzing why commercial motor vehicle accidents are more likely to cause injury than automobile accidents involving passenger cars. Our Miami injury and accident attorneys have years of experience representing clients injured in auto, truck, and commercial vehicle accident cases. Some other factors our lawyers will analyze in a truck or commercial vehicle accident case include:

Size and Weight: Commercial motor vehicles weigh between 16,000 to 20,000 pounds. For example, any commercial motor vehicle that weighs beneath 80,000 pounds in gross is permitted to operate without a special permit. Commercial motor vehicle collisions involve objects of much greater size and force coming to a stop, which greatly increases the likelihood of injuries occurring.

May 27, 2016

Fatal DUI Accidents and Wrongful Death in Florida

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Per Florida statute, a person shall be charged with driving under the influence if he or she has a “breath-alcohol level of 0.08 or more grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.” In Florida, as in other states, DUIs are a daily threat to public safety. As a matter of fact, per Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (“MADD”), 27.5% of all traffic fatalities in Florida involve drunk drivers. In the 2014 alone, there were 40,677 DUI arrests.

A doctor, 61-year-old Eric Martin Spivack, living in South Florida, was arrested for the crash that killed a pedestrian in North Miami Beach. Spivack faces a DUI manslaughter charge. Spivack, a cardiologist, was driving when he fatally struck Yakov Duboschinskiy, 77 years of age. Duboshinskiy was crossing the street when he was hit. When police arrived at the scene, they noted that Spivack smelled of alcohol. A toxicology test would later reveal that Spivack had a blood-alcohol level of .087. This is above the legal limit of .08. Spivack also had traces of codeine in his system.

If you or a loved one are a victim of a crime, it is imperative you hire an experienced attorney. The Miami crime victim lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz, PA provide high quality legal representation. For more information call us toll free at (877) 475-2905 or contact us online to set up a FREE initial consultation.

May 20, 2016

Jeep and Train involved in Fatal Accident

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Railroad companies across this nation have strict rules to follow. Most of the rules serve purposes of safety and protection of motorists and pedestrians. As you may know, sometimes railroad companies do not follow said rules. This can cause fatal accidents. Yet, train passengers and nearby motorists can be injured or even killed by trains even when train companies follow the rules.

For instance, recently in Plant City, Florida, a passenger in a SUV was killed when a train struck the vehicle. This accident occurred at the railroad crossing for Candis Road and Paul Buckman Highway. 19-year-old Bruce Dean drove the vehicle. Mr. Dean, apparently, attempted to beat the train through the intersection. During this failed attempt, the train forcefully smashed into the passenger side of the SUV. The passenger died at the scene. Per statistics, the overall most common cause of railroad accidents occurs at railway crossings. As in the above-mentioned incident, motorists make attempts to beat oncoming trains through the intersection. In actuality, studies find that this type of accident in the United States occurs every 90 minutes.

If you or a loved one is injured from a train accident, at the fault of the railway or train company, it is imperative to hire an experienced personal injury attorney for your case. The Miami personal injury lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz, PA are here for you.

April 8, 2016

Pedestrian Accidents

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

The weather is drastically warming as we approach the summer. At the same time, more and more people are spending time enjoying outdoor activities. With this, it is important to take caution as accidents, sometimes fatal accidents, can occur when least expected. Recently, in Winter Park, Florida, a van slammed into a man who was walking down a sidewalk near the intersection of 436 and Aloma Avenue. The van knocked the man to the ground and kept rolling until it slammed into a sign and then a fire hydrant. The van then flipped over onto its roof. One witness reports that the victim saved his girlfriend from being hit by pushing her out of the way. The victim suffered from a broken leg and a head injury.

If you or someone you love has suffered injury at the fault of another person, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. To increase your chances of compensation, it is imperative that you hire an attorney for your case. The Miami personal injury at Gerson & Schwartz PA lawyers are here to help. Our lawyers have provided high quality legal representation to injured people in Florida for over 40 years. We are dedicated to protecting our clients’ rights and helping them get back on their feet. For a FREE consultation, call (305) 371-6000 or contact us online.

Florida’s Relevant Law

January 1, 2016

Five Killed in 1-95 Crash in Miami Gardens

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

In late December five people were killed in a car accident on 1-95 in northern Miami-Dade County when a woman traveled the wrong way down the opposite lane and crashed into a sedan carrying four people. The woman was driving southbound in the northbound lane when she struck the sedan, killing all four people in the car. Two of the passengers were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle. Both vehicles were moving at a high rate of speed and collided head on. Two more people were sent to the hospital in critical condition.

The four people inside the sedan were family members getting together for the holidays. Jose Martin Labrador, 52, and Gisela Gil-Egui, 48, were husband and wife and both worked at local colleges. Labrador was the director of education technology at Housatonic Community College and Gil-Egui was a professor of communications at Fairfield University.

If you were injured or lost a loved one in a car accident, contact an experienced Miami Car Accident Attorney.

October 28, 2015

Hit-and-Run Accidents

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

A 27-year-old British man was on vacation in Miami Beach, Florida when his life came to an abrupt and tragic end. The young man was hit by a convertible BMW and died at the scene of the collision. The driver of the car was reportedly operating the vehicle at around 100mph. Immediately after the collision, the at-fault driver got out of the car and fled the scene. Our team of Miami car accident lawyers are outraged by this story. This was such a senseless tragedy and the driver’s decision to leave the scene of the accident only makes the situation worse.

Leaving the Scene of an Accident is Both Morally Wrong and Against the Law

If you hit someone with your car, you have a non-delegable duty to remain at the scene of the accident. It is the right thing to do since the person you hit could have, as exemplified above, life-threatening injuries. Just leaving shows a complete indifference to human life. You also have a legal obligation to remain at the scene. Specifically, Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(a) states:

September 15, 2015

Distracted Driving Can Lead to Deadly Accidents

by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

You have probably seen it time and again – a driver on a busy road or highway looking down at his or her phone or staring intently at a GPS device instead of focusing on the road. The clarion calls to not text and drive appear to fall on deaf ears. In 2013, over 3,000 people were killed in car wrecks involving a distracted driver. In addition, over 420,000 people suffered serious injuries in distracted driving-related accidents, according to distraction.gov. Our team of Miami car accident lawyers find these statistics to be quite troubling.

On a bright note, some companies are taking action to combat distracted driving. For example, AT&T created advertisements for the “It Can Wait” campaign. Also, AAA released videos taken of distracted drivers causing serious wrecks.

Here is some shocking data – sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. If you are traveling at a speed of 55 miles per hour, that is the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed, according to CBS Miami. When you text and drive you are 23 times more likely to be in a car crash.