Florida Hit-and-Run Awareness Campaign Begins This Month

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on February 25, 2013

Regular readers of this blog may remember a post from last summer about a 69-year-old Orlando man who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while attempting to cross the street in his wheelchair. Orlando police are still looking for the driver who killed this man and drove off to avoid taking responsibility. He was one of 23 people who were struck and killed by hit-and-run drivers in Central Florida last year. In a move strongly supported by James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury attorneys, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recently added a new page on their website, which will describe cold case hit-and-run accidents throughout Florida. The page was added as part of a new campaign to help combat hit-and-run driving and help law enforcement officials apprehend the people responsible for hit-and-run accidents.

According to data from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), there were 70,000 hit-and-run accidents throughout our state last year, which killed 168 people and injured 17,000 more. Law enforcement professionals from throughout Central Florida recently met at FHP’s Orlando headquarters to launch the new campaign, and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey appealed to negligent hit-and-run drivers to examine how their actions impact the people around them.

"Do the right thing before you get behind the wheel of the car," he said. "Do [the right thing] all the way around.…Look at all the family members who have been impacted."

Ivey went on to say that anyone who witnesses a hit-and-run accident should call Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477 to report the accident anonymously.

Anyone who has been struck and injured by a hit-and-run driver has a right to seek damages against them to help pay medical bills, replace lost wages and compensate them for pain and suffering and other damages. If a negligent driver has injured you or a loved one and you have questions about your rights and legal options, call Orlando hit-and-run accident injury lawyer James O. Cunningham today at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587). When you schedule a free consultation with Mr. Cunningham, he will answer all your questions and explain which course of action may be best for you and your family. Call today for effective and aggressive legal representation!

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.