Go for a Walk! Safely!

April 6, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

April 7 is both National Walking Day and World Health Day. Perhaps not by coincidence.

There is every evidence that walking is one of the best things you can do for your health. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, report walking is a great way to reap the benefits of physical activity, especially for older Americans. Walking can improve cardio vascular health, physical strength and stability in the legs and torso, improve sleep and promote overall health and well-being, including disease prevention and enhanced quality of life.

However, walking can also be dangerous, particularly in Florida. Each year, about 6,000 walkers are killed in traffic collisions; that’s 18 pedestrians a day, 125 every week, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Additionally, more than 75,000 are seriously injured, or about one every 7 minutes. Despite far fewer walkers than motorists on the road, pedestrian deaths account for nearly 1 in 5 traffic fatalities.

April Focus on Distracted Driving Risks

April 5, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Distracted driving killed more than 3,500 people on the nation’s roads last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In those cases, driver distraction was determined to be a primary factor in the fatal collision. However, the true number is much higher because distraction often is not revealed as a factor of causation. By some estimates, 4 in 10 collisions, or some 15,000 deaths per year, involve some form of distraction. These hidden risks are another reason why thorough investigation by an experienced car accident law firm in Fort Myers or Cape Coral should be conducted as soon as possible after a serious or fatal collision.

Driver Distraction in SWFL

Sleepy Drivers a Hidden Road Risk

March 7, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

We recently reported on the record number of traffic deaths on the roads of Southwest Florida last year.

With spring break approaching, we have also looked at the dangers of drunk driving. As we continue to highlight the risks of the road to start 2023, today our car accident attorneys in Fort Myers and Cape Coral want to highlight a largely hidden risk that is no less dangerous: Drowsy driving.

There is every evidence the roads of Southwest Florida have grown particularly dangerous throughout the pandemic and hurricane recovery efforts. WGCU reported Lee County had the second-highest number of traffic deaths on record in 2022. At least 123 motorists lost their lives on Lee County roads in 2022, according to preliminary data. The highest annual total was reported in 2005, when 150 people were killed on local roads. The first two years of the pandemic saw 107 deaths in 2020 and 118 deaths in 2021

Drowsy driving is a known factor in a substantial number of collisions. It is also an undiscovered factor in many more collisions for which it is not determined to be a factor of causation.

Driving Under the Influence a Deadly Risk in SWFL

March 5, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

There is no more avoidable cause of serious and fatal traffic collisions than drivers who get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

It is a top cause of fatal collisions nationwide, accounting for more than 10,000 deaths per year, or about one-third of all traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And there is every evidence the roads of Southwest Florida have grown particularly dangerous throughout the pandemic and hurricane recovery efforts. WGCU reported Lee County had the second-highest number of traffic deaths on record in 2022.

At least 123 motorists lost their lives on Lee County roads in 2022, according to preliminary data. The highest annual total was reported in 2005, when 150 people were killed on local roads. The first two years of the pandemic saw 107 deaths in 2020 and 118 deaths in 2021.

Recently our car accident lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral looked at the top causes of serious and fatal traffic collisions, including aggressive driving. Today, we look at intoxicated driving. With spring break approaching, it is a critical time to respect the risks on the roads of SWFL.

SWFL Road Risks at Record Highs

January 31, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Collision risks on the roads of Southwest Florida were at record highs in 2022.

While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is projecting a slight decline in traffic deaths nationwide last year, as well as a slight decrease in Florida, the same cannot be said for Southwest Florida. While the reasons are not fully understood, statistics show road dangers have increased throughout the pandemic, despite fewer drivers on the roads. Reasons for the increased risks in Southwest Florida can be traced at least in part to nationwide increases in deaths on rural highways, collisions involving large trucks, and fatal accidents involving vulnerable road users, all of which are primary causes in our hometowns.

As we close out the first month of 2023, our car accident lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral are reviewing the risks, and will publish several additional blogs highlighting steps you can take to reduce the risks that you or a loved one will be involved in a serious or fatal traffic collision.

Motorcycle Rider Safety in Focus

January 29, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, we know most motorcycle riders keep safety at the forefront of everything they do. Getting out and enjoying their hobby, and making it home safely to their families, is all they ask.

The vast majority of collisions with vehicles are the fault of the vehicle’s driver. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps riders can take to help reduce their chances of being involved in a serious or fatal collision.

As the winter riding season gets underway in earnest, our motorcycle injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral want to share some of our best tips, earned through more than half a century of promoting motorcycle safety in Southwest Florida, and fighting for the rights of riders and families.

Motorcycles Hitting the Roads in SWFL

January 27, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Visiting motorists and tourists are often surprised to learn that we are entering the height of motorcycle riding season in Southwest Florida. Veteran motorists in Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties can also benefit from frequently reminding themselves to watch for riders this time of year.

Plenty of riders hit the roads in summer. But it’s hot and rainy. The perfect riding weather in the early months of the year, combined with many riders visiting from out of state, make it prime time for motorcycles on the roads of Florida.

Our motorcycle injury lawyers have spent more than half a century fighting for the rights of riders and their families, and promoting rider safety and awareness. For nearly two decades, Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, has provided primary sponsorship to Cape Coral Bike Nights, the area’s largest, family-friendly motorcycle event.

Hidden Holiday Risk: Dangerous and Defective Products

January 2, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

We bring more “stuff” into our homes throughout the long holiday season than at any other time of the year. Holiday decorations. Small appliances. Gifts. Clothing. Toys. Electronics.

While many of us make religious celebrations, time with loved ones, and volunteerism, a part of our holiday priorities, the consumerism is often an unavoidable part of our holiday celebrations.

But far fewer stop to think about the risk of bringing dangerous and defective products into our home. Yet our defective product attorneys know thousands of dangerous products are sold to consumers each year, and the risks continue to grow with the global, Internet economy.

Happy New Year’s: Please Celebrate Responsibly

December 31, 2022 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

All of us at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner wish all of you a safe and enjoyable new year.

Please celebrate responsibly and never drink and drive.

For more than half a century, our drunk driving injury lawyers have fought for the rights of victims and families impacted by this senseless crime. We support sobriety checkpoints, enforcement blitzes, and other efforts by local law enforcement, as well as the work of organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Florida Scuba Diving Injuries in Focus

November 28, 2022 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Florida is second only to Hawaii when it comes to scuba diving.

The death of a well-known 36-year-old tech CEO in a diving accident along Hollywood Beach this month highlights the risk as Florida’s winter diving season gets underway. Earlier this year the former owners of a scuba dive charter in Key Largo pleaded guilty in a case that went on for 10 years after their boat was found to be in such poor condition that it sank, claiming the life of a diver. DAN, Divers Alert Network America, reports the number of diving deaths has been on the rise, with 169 recreational scuba deaths reported in 2016, the last year for which statistics are available.

From freshwater caves in North Florida, where visibility is 100 feet or more, to wreck diving in the Florida Keys, to drift dives along the East Coast, Florida draws divers from all over the world to enjoy our warm clear waters, coral reefs, and abundant sea life, including Goliath Grouper, Stingrays, Sharks and Sailfish. The state’s 2.6 million active divers account for nearly half the world’s 6 million divers.