Florida Motorcycle Accident Causes Serious Injury
A 50 year old motorcyclist was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident when he was struck by a car while making a left turn in Polk County, Florida Saturday afternoon. Gerald Pitts of Winter Haven was riding a 2007 Honda motorcycle and was attempting to turn left on a green light when James Hill ran a red light striking Mr. Pitts. As a result of the impact Mr. Pitts was pinned underneath another car that was also attempting to turn left. Hill fled the scene but witnesses were able to get a partial tag number. Police found Hill about an hour later in a parking lot having repairs made to his truck's front tire, the Highway Patrol said. Hill has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious injuries.
Having represented Florida accident victims for many years I have seen the devastating impacts of people running red lights and stop signs. These collisions can severely injure or kill the occupants of a motor vehicle, truck or motorcycle. The likelihood of personal injury to motorcyclists is greater because of their physical vulnerability. There is simply no excuse for ignoring traffic control devices when the results can be so devastating.
Failure to obey traffic control devices is a major problem in Florida. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has identified intersection safety as the number one high-risk area of highway safety. FHWA reports that, each year, more than 2.8 million intersection-related crashes occur in the United States, representing more than 44 percent of all reported crashes. Intersections are prone to serious traffic crashes simply because they place motor vehicle operators in an environment where motor vehicles directly cross paths, directly exposing drivers to traffic crashes in which little space is available to avoid the serious consequences of poor driver choices such as disobeying traffic signals, failing to stop at red lights, or “assuming” the right of way.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety* (IIHS) reports that more than 900 people a year die and nearly 2,000 are injured due to vehicles running red lights. And red lights are, of course, used at intersections. About half of these deaths are pedestrians and occupants in other vehicles who are hit by those drivers who run red lights. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) reports that 96% of drivers fear being hit by a person running a red light at an intersection, while 55.8% admit to running red lights. And what is the most widely used excuse for red light running? “I was in a hurry.” Though this may be a reason, it is certainly not an excuse. There is no excuse for believing that your time is any more valuable than anyone else’s time or that your time is more valuable than your safety or the safety of others. Obeying traffic control devices is easy to do and would make our roads a much safer place to travel.
