Articles Tagged with Miami Pedestrian Accident

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crosswalksignSouth Florida has been ranked as the fourth most dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians, according to a recent report by the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America.

The study, outlined in The Miami Herald, warns:

South Florida is the nation’s fourth-most-dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians, according to a report issued Tuesday, with people on foot being run down by motor vehicles at almost triple the average rate for the rest of America.

And around the rest of the state, the numbers look even more dismal, according to the report. The three U.S. cities with worse records than the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach axis: Jacksonville, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Orlando, in ascending order of infamy.

State officials were not inclined to argue with the grim portrayal of Florida’s pedestrian safety, or lack of it. “They have some very valid points,” conceded Billy Hattaway, point man for the Florida Department of Transportation’s efforts to make streets safer for foot traffic. “We have some real problems.”

The report, Dangerous by Design 2014, was issued by a pair of urban-redesign activist groups, the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America. It gives the United States in general low marks for pedestrian safety.

More than 47,000 pedestrians died in traffic accidents from 2003 to 2012, the report notes, “sixteen times the number of Americans who died in natural diasters — earthquakes, flood, hurricanes and tornadoes” during the same period.

Using a measure it calls the Pedestrian Danger Index — a computation of the likelihood of someone on foot being killed by a passing vehicle, using data on traffic fatalities and the number of people who walk to work — the report placed South Florida at nearly the bottom of the barrel.

The national average for the Pedestrian Danger Index is 52.2. South Florida’s score was 145.33. The raw numbers on which the index was based didn’t look much better. The only places that recorded a higher number than South Florida’s 1,539 pedestrian fatalities over the past decade were the much-larger New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas.

(Full study available at Dangerous by Design 2014)

Advocates for cyclist and pedestrian rights and personal injury attorneys The Murray Law Firm work tirelessly to protect victims and families of pedestrian and cycling accidents throughout Florida. On behalf of our many clients who have been injured or lost loved ones to pedestrian tragedies, we remind all south Florida drivers to stay alert and avoid distractions on our roadway.

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Grated Bridge Bike Lane, Broward County

Grated Bridge Bike Lane, Broward County

Local News

Cyclists across south Florida are demanding improvements to perilous inter-coastal bridges, which have left hundreds injured throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The cycling community has suffered severe cuts, fractures and other serious injuries due to the grated draw bridges crossing over south Florida’s inter-coastal waterways. Victims are now voicing their demands for improved cyclist safety. The Miami New Times reports:

Take the case of Stephen Tate from Miami, who commented on the post that the Miami River bridge gave him so much trouble that he felt he shouldn’t be alive: “just had to get 20 stitches spread between my hands, elbow, and hip from a fall I had crossing over the Miami River downtown. I got off easy considering I could have been bulldozed by the truck behind me. Grated bridges are death traps for anyone on two wheels!”

He wasn’t alone. At least 30 people commented, with multiple folks comparing riding over a wet drawbridge in South Florida to driving over a cheese grater. Others, like Christina Warren, said they tore ligaments and owed thousands in medical bills: “I wiped out on wet grates. Broken nose, 50 stitches in my face, and torn ligaments in both thumbs! I contacted multiple lawyers, as there was no signage saying danger or walk bike, etc. No one was interested to represent me. With deductible, etc., I was out $5,000 in medical expenses!”

Or Salomon Jakubowicz: “I almost died on one grated bridge, and it was not raining. It is always slippery, and the metal is sharp. I still have the scars. I fell November 2012 on the Dania Boulevard grated bridge. It is slippery with the typical humidity… The metal broke my helmet in half and was encrusted on my ribs, shoulder, and leg.”

Our Legal Take

Advocates for cyclist and pedestrian rights at The Murray Law Firm are deeply concerned by the lack of response by city and county officials. According to the Miami New Times report, one Broward County bridge is now being tested for improved cyclist safety measures. However, this response is underwhelming and insulting to the south Florida cyclist and pedestrian community, who have endured years of hazardous bridges and roadways and still find themselves waiting.

South Florida officials are already under fire following a recent report naming the region the “fourth-most-dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians.” It is time local officials and city planners make south Florida pedestrian and cyclist safety a priority.

The Murray Law Firm work tirelessly to protect victims and families of pedestrian and cycling accidents throughout Florida. Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us toll free at 888.842.1616 or by email at legal help@murraylegal.com.