However, at the same time pedestrians have to be responsible for their actions. Drivers can’t read the minds of people who are walking and if you place yourself at risk it may be impossible for a driver in a certain situation to react quickly enough to avoid a collision.

With the above in mind, a pedestrian was hit on US 19 in Holiday early on Saturday morning who is still in critical condition. This pedestrian, Baijon Rose, was in fact in the crosswalk when she was crossing but she was crossing against the light.

The driver who struck her was 49-year-old Laurie Ann Rineer. She chose to flee the scene of the accident but she called authorities later on saying that she thought that she may have hit a pedestrian but she did not stick around because she was in a panic. She reportedly sounded intoxicated and admitted to drinking beer.

Driving under the influence charges were leveled against Rineer as well as a charge of fleeing from an accident that resulted in an injury.

We certainly wish Baijon Rose a full and speedy recovery.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

It is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that is in charge of coordinating with manufacturers to announce and administer recalls when product defects are identified.

This is a huge task and the NHTSA does a very good job of getting information out. If you are interested in staying abreast of all the product and vehicle recalls as they are announced you can do so by regularly visiting the section of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website that is devoted to recalls.

With the above having been stated we would like to bring a recently announced recall to your attention. Certain 2011 and 2012 Nissan models are being recalled due to improperly installed fuel pressure sensors. This can lead to gasoline leaks that can of course result in fires.

The specific models that are involved in this recall are 2011 and 2012 Infiniti QX, Infiniti M, and Nissan Juke vehicles. This is fresh news and the recall is expected to begin on March 19. The company will be contacting owners of these vehicles and dealerships have been instructed on how to fix the problem free of charge.

To learn more you can call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

We are impacted by weather conditions when we are driving and sometimes it is not safe to proceed as usual. This can seem like an instance of overstating the obvious, but there are those who do not make the necessary adjustments when adverse weather conditions are present.

We saw fit to bring this to light right now because of the fact that we have been seeing a lot of fog in the mornings in the Tampa Bay area recently during the typical commute hours. Any time your visibility is reduced you are going to have to proceed with extreme caution, and this is going to include limiting your speed and driving with your headlights on.

You can’t just pretend that it is business as usual when your visibility is extremely limited. In fact, depending on the circumstances you may want to get a later start if possible and avoid the foggy conditions. Nobody wants to be late, but it is better to arrive at your destination a little bit late than to never arrive at all because you were involved in an accident.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

There is no reason why you should have to miss time from work or pay any medical expenses out-of-pocket if you are injured due to something that took place that was no fault of your own. When you enter a place of business such as a retail store, a grocery store, or a restaurant, it is the responsibility of the owner of this business to provide customers with safe conditions.

If you suffer any type of illness or injury due to the actions of a business the business owner or owners may be liable and you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering as well as lost wages. And of course, your medical expenses would be paid for by the negligent party or the insurance company that represents this individual or entity.

Anytime you are injured in an accident your first priority is obviously going to be to seek medical assistance. At the same time, the world will continue to turn and bills will continue to appear in your mailbox.

You need someone to make sure that you are getting all that you are entitled to, and this is why it is important to engage the services of a good Pasco County personal injury lawyer. He or she will listen as you explain the situation, gain an understanding of the matter, and vigorously advocate your interests so that you can be made whole both physically and financially.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

With the above in mind Honda has announced that they are recalling some 46,000 Odyssey minivans in the United States. There is a problem with the rear doors involving leaky struts. This can lead to the door closing suddenly and unexpectedly and it could injure someone. In fact, the company is reporting that they are aware of at least two people being injured already due to this defective rear door.

The model years involved in the Honda Odyssey recall are 2008 and 2009. Of course the company is going to fix the struts for free if you own one of these vans. They will be notifying owners by mail and provide instructions regarding how to get the struts fixed. But if you want to be proactive about obtaining information about this recall you can contact the company at 800-999-1009. You can also call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Auto Safety Hotline and that number is 888-327-4236.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

Deaths among 16 and 17-year-old drivers increased by 11% in 2011 over the number of fatalities that took place in this age group during the first six months of 2010. The state of Florida had the third-largest increase among all the states and this is something that is certainly attention-getting for those of us who live here in the Sunshine State.

Teenage drivers have an inherent challenge because as we all know experience is the best teacher and you cannot start gaining experience behind the wheel until you become old enough to get a permit. You can go to drivers education classes and learn everything theoretically, but it is impossible to be fully prepared for all of the various perils that we face on the roadways from day one.

One thing is for sure: Teenage drivers must refrain from driving while being distracted. Teenagers are big-time text message senders and receivers, and when you just started driving this is the last thing that you want to do. Texting while driving is dangerous for everyone, but it is obviously more dangerous for people who don’t have much experience driving a motor vehicle.

This increase in teen driver fatalities is a source of concern and we encourage parents of teen drivers to do everything possible to get involved, set a good example, and emphasize the stakes that are involved when you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

With the above having been stated, there are other concerns as well. We are in a unique position here in the state of Florida because of the fact that we have so many opportunities to take to the waterways. Boating is certainly an extremely enjoyable pastime, but there are certain perils involved.

It is important to be fully educated as a boater and you have to maintain the same kind of focus that is necessary when you’re operating a motor vehicle. There may not be as much of a possibility of a collision, but you have the added danger of winding up in the water.

There was in fact a boating mishap off Cedar Key that occurred on Sunday evening at about 5 pm according to a report that is being carried by TampaBay.com. Three people plunged into the water when the catamaran that they were on capsized. They spent some 11 hours in the water before being rescued at about 4:30 on Monday morning.

Fortunately, no serious injuries resulted from the incident. The names of the individuals who were involved have not been made available at the current time.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

One of these is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is part of the United States Department of Transportation. The NHTSA works tirelessly to gain an understanding of what is going on out there and how to address causes of accidents that result in injuries and fatalities.

In an effort to achieve the above the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration keeps myriad statistics, and they have just released traffic fatality numbers for the first three quarters of 2011.

During the months of January through September 24,050 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States. This is certainly a rather large number and nothing to be especially pleased about. However, it is heartening to report that it is a 1.6%reduction over the 2010 figure of 24,437.

When you see these statistics you have to remember that these are everyday people just like you who woke up in the morning with every reason to believe that it was just another day.

This is why public safety advocates continually emphasize how important is to recognize the enormity of the responsibility that you are undertaking when you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. A single lapse in judgment can cost you your life or take the life of another.

As they say, don’t become a statistic. Take driving seriously and do everything possible to keep yourself safe on the roadways.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

And at the same time, if you are not a parent with a child in the car you have to recognize the fact that many of the cars around you do in fact that children in them. So if you engage in risky behavior when you take to the roadways you are inevitably putting innocent children at risk.

Safety seats are an important factor to consider when you will be driving with babies and small children. It is a good idea to do your research and make sure that you are getting a seat that gets high scores because the seat could be the difference between life and death for your child.

With the above having been stated, we would like to pass along some information about a safety seat recall that has been announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 14,220 Britax  safety seats have been recalled due to defective harness adjusters that can make the seats ineffective.

The company is willing to either fix the harness or replace the seat if you own one of these potentially defective safety seats. If you are interested in learning more you can contact Britax  online at www.chaperonerecall.com or over the phone at (888) 427-4829.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.

Just such a situation arose on Wednesday morning when a resident of Port Richey who is reportedly suffering from bipolar disorder went on somewhat of a destructive rampage while driving down US 19 in a minivan.

According to a news story that is appearing over at TampaBay.com the driver, Richard Barrett Jr., who is 38 years of age, allegedly caused at least at least three accidents with his reckless and aggressive driving.

Specific details are still emerging, but from preliminary reports it looks as though the only individual who was seriously injured during the spree was Charles Hesser, 72, whose Toyota Tundra was struck violently from the rear. The vehicle flipped several times and given the extent of the damage to the vehicle observers say that it is a small miracle that Hesser was able to survive the crash.

The suspect’s father is quoted as saying that he was aware of the fact that his son was in a disturbing state of mind. He said that although he had seen him out of sorts before the way that he was acting prior to this rampage was considerably more alarming.

When he was finally corralled by law enforcement officers Barrett, a physically imposing man, reportedly put up quite a struggle before finally being subdued.

The extent of the charges against him have not yet been made available.

We would like to send our best to Charles Hesser. We certainly hope that he enjoys a full and speedy recovery.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another driver or a possible vehicle or product defect, please contact us at 727-848-8892 to schedule a free consultation.