FHP Launches Effort to Curb Hit-and-Run Accidents

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on February 21, 2018

As they do every year, the Florida Highway Patrol launched its initiative last Friday to try and reduce the number of hit-and-run accidents that take place along Florida roads. Across the county, hit-and-run drivers and subsequent deaths are a problem that police departments in every state attempt to curb with increased vigilance, awareness, and education. In Florida, hit-and-run accidents seem to be even more of an issue than elsewhere. The statistics gathered paint a dire picture. In the 2017 alone there were over 98,000 reports of hit-and-run accidents. Out of this number, 177 of the reported incidents resulted in a fatality.

The spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol, Sgt. Kim Montes, told reporters that the issue of hit-and-run collisions in Florida is far more prevalent than it should be. The numbers above support this claim, and indicate that the law-enforcement agency has their work cut out for them as they seek to try and combat this rising problem.

On our blog, we have reported on numerous incidents involving hit-and-runs. Many of them, as the above evidence suggests, resulted in fatalities. It is fortunate that police officers with the Florida Highway Patrol have been able to track down and apprehend many of the individuals responsible for these senseless incidents; however there are also many cases in which the person or persons responsible for the crashes have not been located by the authorities. These still open cases are a source of frustration for the Florida Highway Patrol, but more importantly are a cause of unresolved trauma and grief for the families and friends of those affected by the crashes.

Sgt. Montes went on in her statement to say that many of the fatalities (24 out of the 177) happened in Central Florida, an area which includes Orange County and Orlando.

As stated at the beginning of this post, every year the Florida Highway Patrol launches a renewed awareness campaign to try and cut down on the number of hit-and-run accidents and the resulting fatalities. Some of the primary tools in combating the escape of hit-and-run drivers are the efforts of civilians in reporting the accidents, observing the vehicles involved and the people responsible, and notifying the police of any and all information they may possess.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.