Florida Crossing Guard Struck By Car

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on November 23, 2011

An Orange County crossing guard was struck by a car and injured one recent morning while on the job at 39th Street and Orange Blossom Trail. Florida Highway Patrol officers investigating the incident say that the accident occurred on the morning of October 25 when the 60-year-old crossing guard was struck and injured by a car driven by a 24-year-old Orlando man who was making a left turn onto Orange Blossom Trail. Officers say children were crossing the street when the accident occurred, and witnesses say that when the woman saw the car heading toward the crosswalk, she put up her hands to protect the children. She fell to the pavement after impact and was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment for undisclosed injuries. Charges are pending against the driver of the car.

Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham would like to remind Central Florida drivers to exercise extra care while driving in and near school zones. As you know, our area is the country’s most dangerous place for pedestrians and bicycle riders, and Orlando pedestrian accidents continue to change the lives of victims and their friends and family members nearly every day. Mr. Cunningham has some very simple tips that can help area drivers lower the number of bike and pedestrian accidents in our area:

• Slow down
  Many pedestrian accidents are caused by drivers who speed. The extra seconds that drivers think they need to get to their destination as quickly as possible are trivial and hardly worth endangering anyone who might be walking or biking along the road.
• Hang up and drive
  Florida may not have a cell phone ban for drivers, but that doesn’t mean that drivers should talk and/or text while behind the wheel. It’s dangerous, reckless, negligent and a recipe for tragedy. Please hang up and focus your attention on the safe operation of your vehicle.
• Leave early
  Leaving just five minutes earlier on your way to work or another destination will give you all the extra time you need to get there on time. We tell ourselves that we’re busy and that there aren’t enough hours in the day, but there are. Do everyone a favor, and leave a bit early to make our roads safer.
• Share the road
  Streets and highways in the Orlando area may be built for automobiles, but bicyclists have just as much right to the road as drivers do. Also, pedestrians crossing the road at marked crosswalks have the right of way and just as much right to use the road as drivers do.

If you or a member of your family has been struck and injured by an automobile while walking or bicycling, you may be entitled to compensation. For more information about your legal options and Florida laws, call Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation.

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.