Former Miami Beach Police Officer Charged with DUI in ATV Accident with Injuries; While 2 Others Die in Separate ATV Crashes in Lee County, Florida
Miami, Florida news sources report that a former Miami Beach police officer has turned himself in to authorities following an accident in early July with a police-issued all-terrain vehicle that sent two people to the hospital. He is in the Miami Dade-County, Florida jail.
News reports state that the officer was driving the ATV on the beach with a female passenger when he struck two people; one man was hospitalized with broken bones and another woman suffered internal injuries. (The woman victim, a young mother, is reportedly still in the hospital.)
The ATV accident in Miami Beach, Florida is under investigation. The former police officer who was driving the ATV has been charged with two counts of DUI with serious bodily injuries and two counts of reckless driving. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle told the media that while most police officers take their jobs quite seriously, in any profession "you're always going to have a few that don't live up to the standard." The Miami Beach Police Dept. reportedly fired the officer along with a second officer who was allegedly drinking with him.
A Miami motor vehicle accident injury lawyer is aware that ATVs can pose serious safety hazards to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians when accidents occur. The ATV Safety Institute states that despite their fun appearance and popularity as recreational vehicles -- an ATV is not a toy. The ATV Safety Institute recommends the following operator safety guidelines:
o Wear a helmet, long pants, and shoes to protect your head and extremities
o Never take a passenger on a single-person ATV
o Ride an ATV that is appropriate for your size and age
o Supervise children under age 16 who are riding ATVs
(as Miami, Florida car accident injury attorneys know from experience, teen drivers -- of cars, ATVs, or boats and watercraft such as Jet Skis -- do not have the judgment that adults possess).
o Never drink and then drive an ATV
In another South Florida ATV accident story out of Lee County, Florida, a 13-year-old boy was killed when an ATV and a dirt bike collided. News reports state that speed may have been a factor when the vehicles crashed. Yet another fatal ATV accident occurred in Lehigh Acres, Fla., when an Immokalee man lost control of his ATV, which flipped over and killed him.
The Florida Off-Highway Vehicle Safety and Recreation website lists laws and statutes related to operating off-road vehicles and all-terrain vehicles, including damage to public lands, breaking fences, and safety training requirements and guidelines. For example, the organization recommends always riding an ATV of proper size within your abilities, and putting together a trip plan and emergency kit. See link below for more information about operating ATVs in Florida.
Related Florida Accident Injury Attorney article:
Florida Injury Cited in Lawsuits Against Yamaha Off-Road Vehicle : Rhino Blamed in Multiple Injuries and Death Sept. 27, 2010
Sources:
Former Miami Beach officer turns himself in
WSVN.com 7 News Miami / Fort Lauderdale July 26, 2011
Deadly ATV crash report shows vehicles were speeding
WINK News July 22, 2011
Immokalee man dies in ATV accident
WINK News July 25, 2011
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