James O. Cunningham 
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Camp Lejeune LawsuitsOrlando Accident & Injury Blog
Auto Accident Fatalities Lowest Since 1949
Even though Americans are driving more than ever, recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates indicate that fewer people died in auto accidents in 2010 than any year since 1949. A total of 32,788 people died in car crashes last year. This number is down three percent from 2009, and it’s the lowest number in decades. Barbara Harsha, Executive Director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, cited several contributing factors that led to the near-record low. She said advances in vehicle design, safety and passenger restraint and air bags as well as other factors such as rumble strips on highways and better pavement marking all combined to make driving safer.
Conductor in Fatal Amusement Park Accident Admitted Going Too Fast
The conductor of the train involved in a fatal amusement park accident admitted to a police officer that the train was going too fast at the time of the accident. The accident claimed the life of a six-year-old boy in Spartanburg, SC, and it caused 19 people to go to area hospitals for treatment for their injuries. Mr. Conrad, the conductor of the train, told police “he knew better than to drive the train that fast.”
Orlando Personal Injury Lawyer Monitoring Mazda Fuel System Recall
Many automakers have come under fire in recent years due to safety defects, but the latest recall involving Mazda cars is something no automotive designer or manufacturer could have anticipated. Mazda has announced a recall for thousands of its vehicles because of a fuel line problem that could result in potentially dangerous cracks and leaks. The recall involves a spider species and its fondness for the smell of gasoline. The Yellow Sac spider, a species common here in the U.S., likes the smell of gasoline so much that it builds its webs in the emission systems of automobiles. The design of the fuel system in Mazda6 vehicles allows these gas-loving spiders to crawl in and build webs, which can lead to a restriction in the vent line that can cause the emission control system to increase pressure in the fuel tank.
Orlando Personal Injury Attorney Warns Floridians About Auto Accident Fraud
Florida law enforcement agencies are working with government agencies and consumer advocate groups to raise awareness about a serious and growing problem in our state. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham would like his readers to know that Florida drivers are paying up to $100 more each year for insurance coverage due to criminal groups that stage auto accidents to defraud insurance companies. That number is expected to increase in the coming months and years.
Dont Delay Seeking Medical Treatment After an Auto Accident
In more than three decades as an Orlando personal injury attorney, James O. Cunningham has seen this scenario many times. Drivers and passengers refusing medical treatment after an auto accident, even seemingly minor accidents, discover in the days and weeks following the accident that they have suffered significant injuries that require extensive medical treatment. This happens more often than you might think and is due to several reasons including the following:
Child Struck and Killed in Pedestrian Accident
A six-year-old Palatka boy was struck by a car and killed on March 11 while attempting to cross a street near his home. Accident investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol say that the child was trying to cross the street at the intersection of St. Johns and Wells Avenues when he was struck and killed by a 2002 Toyota driven by a 36-year-old Palatka woman. Police say the child died at the accident scene. It is unknown whether or not the driver of the car is facing criminal charges. More pedestrian accidents occur in Florida than any other state. These accidents take a terrible toll on victims and their families, and many seek the counsel of an Orlando personal injury attorney such as James O. Cunningham.
Lake City Man Killed in Motorcycle Accident
A motorcycle accident on the afternoon of March 11 has claimed the life of a Lake City man. Florida Highway Patrol accident investigators say the man was riding his motorcycle northbound on U.S. 441 when the driver of a Ford Escort made an illegal U-turn directly in front of him. The 59-year-old victim was rushed to Shands at Lake Shore shortly after the accident where he died of his injuries. Police say the accident occurred around 5:15 p.m. when the southbound Escort driven by a 40-year-old Lake City man attempted the U-turn to head north. In attempting the turn, the driver pulled off the shoulder of the road and turned right into the path of the victim’s 2009 Yamaha. The victim had no time to take evasive action and collided with the side of the car, which caused him to be thrown from his motorcycle. Charges are pending against the driver of the Escort.
Boy Airlifted After Hit-and-Run Bicycle Accident
Law enforcement officials are looking for a green Nissan pickup truck that witnesses saw flee the scene of a bicycle accident that sent a five-year-old boy to the hospital with critical injuries. Bradenton Police say the accident occurred around 7:30 on the evening of March 12 in the 2200 block of Fifth Avenue Drive East. Lt. Bryan Fowler of the Bradenton Police Department said, “The boy was riding his bike in the road when the pickup heading southbound on 22nd Street hit him.” Anyone who witnessed or knows anything about the accident is requested to call the Bradenton Police Department 941-932-9301 or call Crime Stoppers at 866-634-8477.
Truck Accident Kills Lake County Man
A rear-end truck accident has claimed the life of a Lake County man. The accident occurred at 5:30 a.m. on the morning of March 3 on U.S. Highway 27 and resulted in the closure of the highway for several hours. Florida Highway Patrol investigators say the victim was a 46-year-old Clermont man who was driving his car to work. A semi truck that left a private driveway off Frank Jarrell Road and attempted to turn onto U.S. 27 pulled in front of the victim’s car, causing the victim to strike the rear of the truck. Police say the truck was attempting to travel south on U.S. 27 when the driver crossed the northbound lanes and pulled directly into the path of the victim.
Orlando Personal Injury Lawyer Supports Raising Driving Age in Florid
Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham is following developments in a bill that would cause our state’s youngest and least experienced drivers to wait until they turn 17 to receive a driver’s license. State Representative Irving Slosbert of Boca Raton (D) is sponsoring a bill currently working through committees that would raise the legal driving age to 17 in the hope that another year of experience and maturity will make Florida streets and highways safer. However, at least one Florida driving instructor is skeptical of the proposed law. Tony DiStefano has 15 years of experience teaching young drivers at Safer Dixie Driving School in Largo. He says that education, not age, should be the focus to make streets and highways safer.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.