Jacksonville Intersection Accident Attorneys
Intersection Accidents
It happens every day in Florida. A person believes they can run through an intersection as the light turns yellow. But unless they pass under the light when it is yellow and not red, they are setting themselves and other up for an intersection accident.
High speed collisions often happen when one person runs a red or yellow light and plows through the intersection quickly, hoping to make it through, when another car has the same idea coming from the other direction. It's one of the reasons Florida recently enacted red-light cameras at intersections to catch and ticket these types of speeders.
Florida has high number of intersection accidents. It's been estimated that one-third of all accidents occur at an intersection.
In fact, the Driving Institute of America states that over 40% of all car accident fatalities involved drivers either failing to yield the right of way, driving through a stop sign, or ignoring a traffic light.
How to avoid a Florida intersection accident?
- When you approach an intersection stopping at the sign or light look both ways, then look again. The few seconds it takes to go through this exercise allows the approaching car to clear your mirror or car frame or whatever was blocking it from your view. Look right, then left, then right and left again and you could save your life.
- At an intersection as soon as the light turns green wait a second while you quickly look both ways before proceeding. If you rush into the intersection just as the light turns green you may turn right into the path of an oncoming car.
- When you are about to make a right-hand turn again look both left and right. Even though traffic should only be coming from the left, other things could be present in an intersection on your right, namely a pedestrian or bicyclist.
- Another reminder is to never change lanes in the middle of an intersection. You have no idea how many other vehicles are approaching the intersection from different directions that might be making their driving decisions based on you staying in your lane. Not all intersection collisions result from bad drivers. There can be intersections with sparse or nonexistent signs. Maybe the sign is hidden by tree branches. There may be a defect in the construction of the roadway or in the design of the road that blocks approaching drivers from your line of sight. There are many factors that an experienced Florida intersection accident attorney has seen before to help fight for your rights.
If you or a loved one has been injured from a Florida car collision at an intersection, we can help you. An intersection crash caused by another driver's reckless behavior or negligence means that you need to be compensated.
A Florida intersection accident attorney can help you by offering an initial consultation free of charge so that you may be able to take action against the at-fault driver, his company and/or insurance provider to compensate you for your medical bills, pain and suffering and lost wages, both now and in the future.