Bagen Law Blog

A recent rash of motorycle accidents have reminded local residents why bike safety is important. It's often been said that tragedy comes in three. That's exactly the case for the three Gainesville bikers who lost their lives or were injured after severe motorcycle accidents.

A fishing trip turned deadly Tuesday morning when an airboat capsized in the Rodman Reservoir.
The 64-year-old operator of the boat was killed in the accident, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Joy Hill said. His 50-year-old fishing companion received minor injuries.

Investigators are still looking for the driver that struck a motorcycle and killed the rider in Georgia. It was late Sunday night when Tahj Robinson, 22, was riding his 2011 Suzuki around 10:00 p.m. when he was struck by a 2011 Saturn at the intersection of Canal Road and Golden Isles Parkway.

Floridians are demanding reform for personal injury protection (PIP) due to an increase in fraudulent claims. Governor Rick Scott and SEO Jeff Atwater joined a band of consumers, business leaders, law enforcement officials, and concerned citizens in Tallahassee on January 25, 2011 to discuss the need to “put the brakes on accident fraud and abuse.”
According to a joint statement filed by the concern parties, “PIP [is] is the domain of those who exploit the broken system in order to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers – further illustrating the the PIP system is long overdue for meaningful reform and the Legislature must act this session to end the nearly $1 billion fraud tax and stop accident fraud.”
The coalition to fight PIP fraud urged lawmakers to include the following reforms in a final bills:

Dense fog and smoke left for a terrifying and tragic scene on I-75 after ten people died as a result to multiple pile ups.

It was a scene out of a Hollywood horror movie: mangled cars, twisted, burned cars, the sounds of screams and moans that seemed so distant and far away. A fog so thick, that police officers only had to listen to shrieks and calls for help to tend to those who needed help.

The mixture of heavy smoke and fog that clouded the area of south of Gainesville on Interstate 75 is said to have come from a brush fire that was intentionally set nearby. As a result of dense smoke, at least a dozen cars and six tractor-trailers were involved in a pileup where 10 people died.

Gainesville resident Steven R. Camps was caught up in the accident where he and some friends were driving home several hours before dawn. Upon entering the scene, he said, “You could hear cars hitting each other. People were crying. People were screaming. It was crazy,” he said. “If I could give you an idea of what it looked like, I would say it looked like the end of the world.”¹

There is something that all parents can agree on – being a child in today’s world is vastly different than when you were growing up. Bullying in schools is on the rise and it’s taking on different forms thanks to smart phones and online messaging applications. Parents breathe a deep sigh of relief seeing their child get off the bus at the end of the day with no tears, bruises, or torn clothes. It’s a sad, sad world where every corner in school could be one that your child is backed into.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, close to half of all children will experience school bullying at some point while they are at primary or secondary school. At least ten percent of children are bullied regularly.

It’s scary to let go, hand your child your car keys, and wave goodbye. You have been driving for some time so you understand the dangers and perils out there on the road ahead. How do you explain that to a teenager who knows everything?

Driving is not what it used to be when you first learned how to. The introduction of smart phones and texting has increased the risks by a staggering amount. Just how much? According to statistics provided by NegligentDriving.org, distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens. While 90% of teens admit that they don’t drink and drive, nine out of 10 say they have seen passengers distracting the drivers or drivers using cell phones.