Three bicyclists were hospitalized after they were injured by a hit-and-run driver on U.S. 1 in St. Augustine Monday afternoon, according to an article in The Florida Times-Union. Two cyclists were taken to Shands in Jacksonville and one was transported to Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine. The driver who hit the cyclists has been identified as Michael Nally, 42, who was behind the wheel of a PT Cruiser heading northbound on Ponce De Leon Boulevard when he swerved into the three cyclists just before 1 p.m., hit them, but then kept driving. Fortunately, a Good Samaritan followed Nally and then called police and told them he pulled into a bar on North Ponce De Leon. The witness also told police that he saw a beer can thrown from the car. Police tracked down Nally to Arnold’s Bar where he was arrested and charged with three counts of leaving the scene of an accident with bodily injury.
As we’ve said here before, leaving the scene of an accident where there is an injury or possible death is the worst thing you can possibly do. The first degree felony criminal charge will be added that can bring 30 years in state prison.
Despite being seventh in population, Jacksonville is third in the state in the number of hit-and runs.
The state reports there were 349 hit –and-run driving prosecutions in 2006 in our area. By 2007 and 2008 there were 2,000. That is such a sad statement about how we fail to care.
DUI charges are possible pending the result of a blood test.
Fortunately, the bicyclists were wearing helmets and those taken to Shands had the most serious injuries. We now know the identities of the three. They all worked for the St. Johns County technology department and were out for a lunchtime ride.
They are identified as Robert Jolley and Daniel Phillips who went to Shands and were in fair condition. Derick Tillman went to Flagler Hospital as a precaution. How many more accidents of this kind do we need before we dedicate bike paths for riders? After all, the roads are there to be shared by everyone, not just those with the biggest vehicle.
If you have been hit by a drunk driver or a hit-and-run accident, a dedicated and experienced Florida hit and run accident attorney can help you get the resources you need to begin the road to recovery.
By Eddie Farah on October 18, 2008
NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, issued new rules this week that will improve the nation’s 474,000 school buses. Seat and shoulder belts will be required on small school buses. The requirement will also change seat backs making them four inches higher to 24 inches in all new buses.
Seats must also come equipped with safety latches that can be flipped up or removed without resorting to special tools. That’s the good news.
But there is a huge gap here. What about the large school buses that most children ride in? NHTSA has not resolved that question, despite the fact that all of the research shows that children would be made safer.
Instead NHTSA sets standards for seat belts on large school buses. Five major studies over the past decade have shown seat belts are needed on large school buses. But the Secretary of Transportation, Mary E. Peters said that putting seat belts on larger buses can limit capacity and force more students to walk or ride in cars.
“The last thing we want to do is force parents to choose other, less safe ways of getting their children to school,” she said.
Putting seat belts where people sit will make them less safe? NHTSA says more kids are actually hurt around school buses than inside them, but seat belts on school buses would impact about 1,900 crash injuries each year.
Public Citizen doesn’t like the omission of seat belts from large buses and Joan Claybrook, who was the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1977-81, says Public Citizen objects to NHTSAs plans to immunize manufacturers from personal injury liability. Read the rest »
By Eddie Farah on July 11, 2008
It is just a fact.
As the price of gasoline continues to rise, more people are going to try and get around on a bicycle. That means people behind the wheel of a car better keep their eyes opened for those on the road on two wheels.
Unfortunately that didn’t happen on Thursday afternoon.
A bicyclist died when a tow-truck backed over him. The cyclist was cutting through a Shell station on the Westside of Jacksonville. That’s when the tow-truck, obviously blinded, backed out of a diesel fueling area. He struck the cyclist even though bystanders were yelling at the driver to stop. When he did, he pulled forward and then ran over the cyclist for a second time.
A cyclist just trying to do the right thing. His name has not been immediately released. Charges could be pending against the driver of the tow truck.
According to national statistics, the most serious injuries, resulting when a bicycle and car collide, are traumatic brain injury to the cyclist.
A helmet helps reduce head injury risk by 85 percent, but unfortunately in 2006, the vast majority of bicyclists killed were not wearing helmets.
Even a skilled rider is facing danger on the roads as motorists fail to see the cyclist or refuse to share the road responsibly.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - 770 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2006.
A bicyclist may have right to recover fair compensation if a motorist was negligent or failed to exercise a reasonable amount of caution on the road.
Talk to our experienced accident attorneys and we will be able to advise you of your rights and help you to maneuver sometimes difficult insurance companies. #
By Eddie Farah on March 8, 2008
No one can figure out why a 42-year-old St. Augustine man was riding his bicycle in the dark and in the rain on U.S. 17 in Putnam County, Florida Friday night.
Thomas Mattox did not have a helmet on and his bike did not have any lights. And he was wearing dark clothing on a night with poor visibility.
Read the rest »
