201804.17

Female Pedestrian Killed in Hit-and-Run Accident in Tampa, the Sixteenth Fatality in the Tampa Bay Area in One Week

in Auto Accident, Distracted Driving Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, Personal Injury Attorneys, Schwed Law News

A female pedestrian died in a hit-and-run accident outside Tampa last week, marking the sixteenth fatality in a motor vehicle accident in the greater Tampa area in a single week. According to a report from ABC Action News, this most recent fatality occurred when a woman was attempting to cross U.S. 19 just south of State Route 52 in the town of Hudson north of Tampa at approximately 11:00 p.m. on April 11th. The pedestrian was crossing the road outside of a crosswalk when she was struck by a car that then sped away without stopping or even pausing. Nearby witnesses were unable to identify the make or model of the car but did describe what appeared to be a vehicle with a custom black sparkle paint job and heavily tinted windows. Despite an exhaustive investigation thus far, police have been unable to identify the driver of the vehicle that hit and killed the woman. The other fifteen fatalities in the greater Tampa Bay area last week included three other pedestrian deaths, five motorcyclists who were killed, and one individual on a bicycle killed by a motor vehicle. Of these sixteen fatalities, several also involved distracted drivers, including one who was texting while driving and did not look up before crashing.

Florida: One of the Deadliest States for Motor Vehicle Accidents in 2017

Crash statistics from insurance industry group the Insurance Information Institute reflect that Florida had the third highest rate of fatal car crashes of any state in the United States in 2017, despite having nowhere near the population of much more populous states like Texas or California. With accident numbers that rival California and Texas, nearly 3,000 Florida drivers and passengers are killed in motor vehicle accidents each year according to the Institute. This is only further confirmed by the large number of fatalities in a single week in the Tampa Bay area alone.

Although vehicle-on-vehicle crashes form the majority of fatal car accidents in Florida in terms of accident numbers, the death rate in motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists is much higher than in accidents involving two motor vehicles. This is because, compared with the relative protection offered by the enclosed space of a motor vehicle, a pedestrian or bicyclist (even if wearing a helmet) is almost completely unprotected if a car is bearing down on him or her. This was proven by the recent week in the Tampa Bay area, in which 16 people died, a testament to how often Floridians are killed in different types of car crashes.

Contact the Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys
at Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A.

At Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A. our experienced personal injury attorneys have more than 150 years of combined practice representing victims of all sorts of motor vehicle accidents, including motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents. We have represented those who have been injured or the family members and loved ones of those who have been killed in any number of scenarios involving the negligence of a Florida motorist, including distracted drivers and drivers who have hit pedestrians, bicyclists, and those driving or riding in other motor vehicles.

No matter what the scenario in which our client was injured or killed, we will do everything we can to obtain justice for our clients using every tool at our disposal under Florida law. Therefore, if you, a family member or a loved one has been injured or killed in a Florida motor vehicle accident, no matter the circumstances that caused the accident, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A today at 877-694-6079 or contact@schwedlawfirm.com for a free consultation.