FLorida Injury lawyer and Accident attorney

At the time they had been stopped by Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Bennett near the Seminole boat ramp, Tiffany and Heather Davis were probably upset about receiving tickets for not using life vests.  Hours later, their parents are most likely thankful the deputy did stop them. 

As the girls were preparing to remove their watercraft from the water, the scooter exploded sending the girls flying into the water.  Luckily, Deputy Bennett was still at the scene and pulled the two to safety.  They were transported to Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater where their injuries were described as non-life threatening. 

Sometimes, a police stop can save lives.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy narrowly escaped serious injury on Monday during a traffic stop on I-75 in the southbound lane.  Sgt. Scott Wellinger of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department had stopped a vehicle traveling southbound on I-75 when the truck driver, Jose Serrano clipped the rear end of the patrol car.  The sergeant was sitting in his 2006 Chevrolet Impali in the emergency lane with the emergency lights and strobes activated when a tractor-trailer failed to slow down and move over and drifted off the road. The truck's rear wheels clipped Wellinger's slightly ajar driver's door. The door was crumpled and peeled back into the front wheel well.  Serrano claimed he could not move over due to traffic.  However, an investigation found that he was travelling 60 mph at the time and failed to slow down which is required by law if the vehicle is not able to move away from the patrol car.  Fortunately, the officer was not seriously injured. 

The Move Over law was enacted in Florida in 2002 to prevent such accidents and ensure the safety of law enforcement officers who correctly believe they are in grave danger during such traffic stops.  The media regularly reports officers being injured in the Tampa Bay area during such traffic stops.  There is no doubt that some roadways in the Tampa Bay area such as US 19 in PInellas County are particularly hazardous.  That's no excuse for motorists to ignore the move over law.

With the high price of gasoline and a declining housing and job market many residents of Pinellas County are contemplating alternative methods of traveling to their work destinations.  Some are considering using the bicycle to get back and forth from work.  This may work for some if they have a good bike, proper safety equipment such as bike reflectors, and a helmet.  Yet, if this is the chosen method of transportation, a proper understanding of the road and the traffic laws is crucial to remaining safe.  Some roads in Pinellas County are just too congested for bike travel.  For instance, US 19 is far too congested and poorly constructed for bike traffic.  That holds true if you're in Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, or St. Petersburg.  Gandy Boulevard in south Pinellas County may work in some areas but is also dangerous and not really designed to accomodate bike traffic.  The Pinellas Trail is ideal but doesn't really provide easy access to many job sites.  For instance, if one wanted to bike from Seminole or Largo to St. Petersburg, the trail could be used depending on the location of the job site in St. Petersburg.  If the job is in the Tyrone area, easy access is not really there.

Another alternative is the mass transit or bus system.  However that also has its drawbacks since it's time consuming and doesn't cover all the areas of northern and southern Pinellas County. 

It's tough to make alternative transportation plans but it can be done with adequate planning of the route, safety measures, and time.

A Pinellas Park police officer is currently in Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg and is scheduled to have surgery to repair his broken leg.  Officer Scott Martin of the Pinellas Park Police Department was directing traffic at 6:00am because of a malfunctioning traffic light in the northbound lanes of US 19 and Gandy Blvd.  The officer was wearing a reflective vest at the time of the accident but the driver of the van who hit him, Sengthong Liamsavy, told officers at the scene that he never saw the police officer.  According to the driver, it was dark at the time and he didn't see the officer in spite of the reflective vest.

No charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

Juan Aecca's Buick was traveling westbound on Waters Avenue in Tampa when it ran a red light at the intersection of Waters and Dale Mabry in Tampa this morning.  As a result, Richard W. Buck was killed.  Aecca has been charged with DUI manslaughter, DUI property damage, driving without a license and violation of a traffic control device.  Aecca is being held at the Orient Road jail in Tampa.