Florida Accident Attorney Blog

If you're among the many Palm Beach County and other South Florida residents who proudly drives a Cadillac -- be aware that General Motors will issue two safety recalls.

According to Florida news sources, GM has recalled Cadillacs from models years 2005 through 2007 due to a problem with the front seat sensor related to air bag performance. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reports that the front passenger seat sensor -- which detects the weight of a person sitting in the front seat -- could break, preventing air bag deployment during a traffic accident. The seat sensor mats on the affected Cadillac vehicles must be replaced to restore safe performance of the air bags. Close to 100,000 cars are being recalled in the United States.

West Palm Beach accident injury attorneys may assist South Florida families who suffer injury or death due to a motor vehicle crash. An experienced Palm Beach County injury lawyer has knowledge regarding consumer safety laws and regulations that apply to automotive safety recalls and defective auto products (including tire defects or risks related to aging tires).

A separate GM Cadillac recall covered by the Miami, Florida, news media involves a problem with seat belt latches on more than 97,000 crossover vehicles, model year 2011. Consult your Florida Cadillac dealer for more information about repairs related to these GM auto safety recall notices.

Sensor mat issue prompts GM Cadillac recall
Reuters via WFIT 89.5 FM at Florida Tech Dec. 23, 2010

Recall Alert: 2011 Cadillac SRX, Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain
Cars.com via Miami Herald Dec. 20, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Cadillac.com

MotorTrend.com: Cadillac Safety Recall Notices

Are you among the Miami, Florida residents getting in the car and hitting the interstate to visit friends and family between now and the New Year? You won't be alone.

A Cape Coral, Florida news outlet reports that the AAA anticipates heavier holiday traffic on Florida roads and highways in 2010, including on Interstate 95. The article states that the majority of Floridians traveling for the holiday will be driving their own cars, trucks, minivans or SUVs -- an estimated 4.5 million Floridians on the road. The AAA reports that's a 3.2 increase in Florida holiday traffic compared to the volume in 2009.

As Miami auto accident injury lawyers know too well, the holidays can be a hazardous time to drive in South Florida. Increased traffic volume on I-95 and other South Florida highways and roads -- combined with people in a hurry to get where they're going -- and some merry makers driving under the influence of alcohol -- can lead to serious and fatal car accidents.

A Miami news source reports that AAA Auto Club South wants everyone to make it home safely during the Dec./Jan. holidays. The organization is partnering with Budweiser to offer a free "Tow to Go" program for people who've had too much to drink and can't safely drive home. The program offers a confidential ride home and vehicle tow by calling 1-800-AAA-HELP.

The risk for drunk driving car crashes can rise over the holidays, as South Florida residents attend work parties and family get-togethers, and hit the Miami bars for some holiday cheer. Florida joins Tennessee and Georgia in participating in the AAA Tow to Go program through the New Year 2011 celebration. Drive carefully out there this holiday season.

Travelers, take care: Holiday traffic up
Cape Coral Daily Breeze Dec. 24, 2010

AAA Offers Free Tows To Holiday Party Goers
CBS Miami Dec. 23, 2010

Related Web Resource
AAA Auto Club South (serving Florida, Puerto Rico, Georgia and parts of Tennessee)

Do you drive an older Ford Windstar minivan in Miami Dade County or elsewhere in South Florida? If so, you may be interested in this news item. Ford Motor Company has expanded its recall of the popular Windstar Minivan, due to the risk of axle corrosion and failure. A badly corroded axle could break, sending the vehicle out of control and causing serious or deadly traffic accidents.

Ford's initial recall of the once popular Windstar -- a favorite among soccer moms and other families toting children -- occurred in August, covering minivans sold in the 1998 to 2003 model years in 21 U.S. states and Canada. An additional 37,000 minivans were added to the expanded recall, as Ford reportedly searched its database to locate owners.

Though the risk of severe axle corrosion is, according to Ford, higher in cold-weather states using rock salt on winter roads -- Florida owners of Windstars should nonetheless contact a Ford dealer to inspect their vehicles (particularly used vehicles which may have been sold in and/or previously owned and operated at length in cold weather states).

As a Miami-Dade car accident injury lawyer knows, automotive safety recalls are issued by the manufacturer in tandem with the U.S. government to prevent serious automotive accidents and injury from happening.

Unfortunately, sometimes defective vehicle part or defectire tire issues aren't always apparent until after traffic accidents start happening and consumers start to complain, prompting investigation.

Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in August 2010 regarding the problem with the Windstar power train / axle assembly, stating at the time that more than 460,000 vehicles might be involved. (See letter from NHTSA to Ford acknowledging notice of the safety recall campaign -- PDF link below.)

A Massachusetts family blames Ford for a young husband and father's death this fall when his Windstar minivan careened out of control and struck a building. The Windstar's rear axle reportedly broke and the wheel fell off the vehicle. The family reportedly received the recall notice in the mail one week after the fatal car accident occurred.

APNewsBreak: Ford expands Windstar minivan recall
AP on Yahoo! News Dec. 15, 2010

Whitman family blames Ford Motor Co. for father’s death
AP in Patriot Ledger Dec. 15, 2010

Related Web Resource

NHTSA: Office of Defects Investigation: Ford Windstar (PDF)

As Fort Lauderdale car accident injury lawyers are all too aware -- drunk driving is one of the number-one causes of deadly South Florida motor vehicle crashes. That fact should be at the fore of Florida drivers' minds with the holiday season and parties in full swing.

More parties, more travel, and more traffic means an increased risk for deadly drunk driving car accidents on Broward County streets and Florida highways. If that weren't enough to make you think about staying home -- now motorists have to worry about sharing the road with people typing on technology gadgets while driving.

Despite laws restricting or outlawing such practices, wired drivers are fond of texting and chatting on cell phones while driving. Is social networking while driving (that is, updating Twitter, Facebook, and other social media webpages) the next big hazard on the roadways?

It just might be, says an opinion writer in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, which covers Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, and Palm Beach County, Florida.

The author, who represents the American Beverage Institute in Washington, D.C., writes that, "Studies have shown that distracted driving is more dangerous than enjoying an adult beverage or two with dinner responsibly." She suggests that auto manufacturers are partly to blame, as they equip 21st century cars, minivans, trucks and SUVs with technology powered information, communication, navigation, and entertainment devices. (She cites GM's plans to add a Facebook-surfing app to some vehicles, while other manufacturers have wireless Internet for cars in development.)

The article cites a Harvard study suggesting that distracted driving causes some 2,600 traffic deaths every year in the United States. That's reason to pause before picking up the cell phone or hand-held device when you get behind the wheel and hit the highway on I-95 Florida. No text message, Tweet, or Facebook update is worth your life or someone else's.

Distracted driving riskier than drinks
SunSentinel.com Dec. 14, 2010

Related Florida Accident Attorney Blog Article:

Texting and Driving a Dangerous Combination for Florida Motorists

A worker badly burned in a Fort Myers, Florida construction accident last month remains hospitalized in critical condition, as a lawsuit in a Lee County court moves forward.

The accident occurred Nov. 11, 2010 when a gas line at a road-widening site was hit by a construction vehicle, causing an explosion. The construction worker driving the heavy machinery was badly burned. An estimated 1,200 commercial customers and 6,000 residents lost natural gas service in Lee County and Collier County, Fla., as a result of the explosion. The accident occurred during road construction work to widen Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers, Florida.

A lawsuit was filed in Lee Circuit Court in Fort Myers, Florida, on behalf of Collier County and numerous businesses that have suffered as a result of the construction accident. It's unclear at this time who is at fault in the accident, as both the construction site contractors and a gas company are involved.

A Fort Myers work accident lawyer may advise Florida families in cases where a loved one is injured or killed while performing a construction job or other work. These accidents may involve lawsuits and/or Florida Workers Comp claims.

Construction jobs remain among the most hazardous of professions, including those that involve road and highway work. Road construction accidents may also include vehicle crashes where motorists come upon work sites and are involved in accidents with construction vehicles and/or road workers.

OSHA is investigating this Fort Myers, Fla. construction work accident. (See related Florida work accident injury attorney blog article below for further construction site accident details.)

Worker still critical, lawsuit in progress a month after TECO gas explosion
Naples News Dec. 10, 2010

Related Florida Accident Attorney Blog Article:

Fort Myers Highway Construction Project Investigated in Gas Line Explosion Accident; Construction Worker Burned
Nov. 13, 2010

Related Web Resource:
Lee County Florida Clerk of Courts

According to the March of Dimes, shoulder dystocia injuries to babies can occur as a result of difficult vaginal birth. Shoulder dystocia -- dystocia means "slow or difficult labor or delivery" -- occurs when the baby's shoulder gets stuck behind the mother's pubic bone. If the doctor uses too much force in delivering the infant, potentially serious conditions known as brachial plexus paralysis and Erb's palsy injuries can occur.

Broward County, Florida birth injury attorney Debi Chalik says mothers-to-be should be informed of their own medical history, medical conditions, as well as their birthing options. The March of Dimes says that while shoulder dystocia may be difficult to predict, a set of risk factors exists that pregnant women should be aware of. Shoulder dystocia and Erb's palsy related injuries may occur in women who...

• struggle with their weight


• have diabetes


• are pregnant with multiple babies


• have given birth to large babies in the past


• have a history of difficult vaginal birth

Attorney Debi Chalik has worked with a number of women in Florida whose babies have suffered Erbs palsy related injury. She says pregnant women with these risk factors "don't always realize that they may be a candidate for a C-section." Medical journal research studies have shown that women who have Cesarean section births are less likely to have babies that suffer shoulder dystocia and Erbs palsy birth injuries than women who give birth through the vaginal canal.

"Often times these shoulder dystocia injuries occur when the baby is too large for a vaginal birth," Attorney Debi Chalik says. Pregnant women who have concerns should "Discuss [their] options with [their] doctor before entering the delivery room. Mothers need to know what their options are before going into labor."

Related Erb's Palsy Birth Injury Article:

Q&A with Florida Erb's Palsy injury lawyer Debi Chalik

Sources:

March of Dimes: Shoulder Dystocia

Route of Delivery and Neonatal Birth Trauma (abstract)
American Journal of Obstetric and Gynecology Jan. 15, 2010