Jacksonville Injury Lawyer Blog

Suspended Florida Drivers are behind too many Jacksonville car accidents. As a Jacksonville car accident lawyer I am distressed at the alarming number of people who are driving on Florida roads with suspended or revoked drivers licenses. Those same motorists, which in 2008, alone, totaled more than two million, caused almost 20 percent of all car accidents resulting in wrongful deaths, according to a AAA study.

Incredibly a recently enacted law reduced penalties for repeat suspended license offenders. Amazingly, when many of these scofflaws finally go to court to deal with their suspensions, they actually drive there. The law passed last year, reduced jail time for drivers whose licenses are suspended or revoked because they failed to pay tickets. We can only hope that the Florida Legislature reverses the current law, and provides greater penalties, which can only serve to protect everyone traveling on Florida’s roads.

Each year many drivers suffer brain injuries as a result of Jacksonville car accidents. Brain injuries are the fourth leading cause of death in the US, and the leading cause of death in people under 40 years of age. Just as the rest of the body is susceptible to bruising and breaking, the brain too can endure serious trauma.

It is estimated that nearly 500,000 head injuries are sustained each year in the United States, at a rate of about 200 per 100,000. These statistics involve injury victims who have been admitted to a hospital. A recent study has suggested that all head injuries (both unreported and reported) total nearly 8 million annually across the country.

There are three broad categories of traumatic brain injuries:
Blunt trauma involves a blow to the head from a heavy object. Whether or not the skull is penetrated, some amount of the kinetic energy from the strike is transmitted to the brain and other cranial contents through of pressure waves. These signals cause a neurological balance within the brain.
Penetrating trauma from a bullet or other projectile produces by far the most destructive concussive-compressive injury. Damage results from both the object itself, and the impact forces crushing the brain tissue.
Acceleration-deceleration forces may also cause injury. The most common example of an acceleration-deceleration injury is seen in the victims of motor vehicle accidents. Damage occurs as a result of the inertial forces, and tends to be more severe and widespread.

When a car traveling at high speed comes to a sudden stop, the body and head continue moving forward at the original velocity until brought to a stop after impacting the surface in the vehicle. In just seconds, the brain is subjected to powerful acceleration and deceleration forces, transferring large amounts of kinetic energy to the internal brain membranes.
There are three levels of trauma that may be distinguished: (1) concussion, (2) contusion, and (3) laceration.
A concussion, very common, is a jarring shock that damages the brain. A typical hockey or football player can tell you about these. On the other hand, a contusion involves actual bruising of the brain tissue. These are obviously more serious than a concussion. Finally, a laceration involves direct penetration or cutting of the brain tissue.
Brain injuries may also be classified as “primary” or “secondary.”
Primary injuries result directly from trauma, while secondary injuries appear later as complications from a different primary injury. Secondary effects are not easily recognized at the onset of a brain injury. In time, however, the debilitating nature of head trauma presents itself more fully.
Management of head injuries has improved significantly over the last few decades, both in diagnosis and treatment. Early and aggressive management of head injuries will improve the outcome substantially. It is vitally important that you seek medical care if you believe you have sustained even a mild traumatic brain injury. Help is available to you.

Thank you to lipskylaw.com for the following update: As Jacksonville car accident lawyers we are concerned about a recent report from an insurance research group indicating that the country’s current financial recession will result in a sharp increase in uninsured motorists, particularly in Florida, by 2010.
According to the Insurance Research Council, there is a correlation between the percentage of drivers who choose to forgo car insurance and each state’s unemployment rate. The report indicates, based upon unemployment rate estimates, that the percentage of uninsured motorist will increase by 15% over the next year. This is not good news for Floridians, as we already have the distinction of being one of the top five states with uninsured motorists, at an estimated 23%.
Having witnessed too often, the pain an injured victim endures when they learn the person who caused their damages had no insurance, we cannot stress strongly enough that everyone should make sure they have uninsured motorist coverage. While most insurance agents will tell their insureds that this coverage is not needed, particularly if you already have health insurance and/or disability insurance, it is truly the most valuable coverage you can buy, because it protects you and your family