Most types of auto insurance covers more than just the person who purchased the coverage.  In Florida, there is a resident relative coverage provision that applies to PIP, Bodily Injury and Uninsured Motorist coverage.  This means that coverage is extended to the insured’s relatives residing in the same residence at the time of the accident.  Relative is defined by most policies as “kinship by blood or marriage but not to relationships terminated by divorce.”  So if you have not purchased your own auto insurance check to see if any of your family members living in the same residence have.   At the same time, it is important to check and see if the person who caused the accident has any resident relatives who have purchased a policy that could cover your injuries.

Another detail for injured clients to look at is whether or not the insurance company can provide a signed uninsured motorist rejection form.  If the insurance company cannot provide documentation of uninsured motorist rejection, then it is obligated to provide uninsured motorist coverage in the same limits as the Bodily Injury coverage on the policy.

There are many other ways to find coverage when you may think that no coverage exists.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call me.

Ron Zimmet Jr

If the minor is operating a motor vehicle owned and insured by the parent, liability coverage will extend to both the parent and the minor unless the minor at the time of the accident, the child does not reside with the parent.   Therefore,  if a parent signs the drivers license application on behalf of a minor child who does not live in their household, then the parent can be liable for the negligent acts of the minor and not have any coverage under their automobile insurance policy to pay for it.

Parents should also know that after the child reaches 18 then the parents are no longer responsible for the child’s negligent operation of a motor vehicle unless the parent owns the vehicle or is listed as a co-owner.

So make sure that the parent who lives with the child is the one who signs the application so that if the child causes an accident then at least there will be insurance to cover it.  Also, it is a good practice to make sure that the child owns the vehicle that he or she drives individually and in his or her own name.

As a result of the accident, the reckless driver lost his license.  During the course of my represention, the reckless driver believed that I had the power to help him get his license back by signing a particular document.   He came to my office with a story about how he had a young child and he needed to have a license to get to work.  I could not sign the document because what was stated on the ducument was not true.   Therefore, it is my belief that he was an unlicensed, uninsured motorist when he caused a crash months later in which he killed himself and two passengers.  

He was driving late at night and challenged another vehicle to race.  The vehicles drove in excess of 100 mph and the reckless driver ran into a concrete telephone pole.   This person had no respect for his own life or the lives of anyone else on the road.  He left a young child without a father.   These people are driving right next to you on the road.  Be careful,  pay attention and buy uninsured motorist coverage to protect yourself.

There are tests that show that texting while driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving.  States should enact laws that completely ban this behavior.  The state of Utah is taking a stand.    Utah passed the nations toughest law to crack down on texting and driving.  The new law penalizes a texting driver who causes a fatality as harshly as a drunken driver who kills someone.  The Utah legislators believe that texting and driving is a willful act.    While there are issues concerning how the violators will be prosecuted, this Daytona Beach Accident Attorney believes that Utah is on the right track with this issue and Florida should follow suit.

It seems that everyone in Florida has a cell phone.  A vast majority of those cell phones have built in cameras.  A lot of the phones even have video cameras.  If you are involved in an accident and you are well enough to use these cameras, you should do so.  If you are involved in a car accident and someone in the car is severely injured please use these cameras for them.  

Having photographic evidence of the aftermath of a car accident greatly reduces the chances that the event will later be misconstrued. 

Take photographs of the damage to the vehicles.  This prevents insurance companies from later diminishing the severity of the impact.

Take photographs of the other vehicles license plate and VIN number.  Look for the VIN number on the frame of the driver’s door and on the dash near the windshield.   This information will help locate the driver later if he or she is trying to evade you.   You should also take pictures of the at fault driver’s  drivers license card for identification purposes. 

Take pictures of the skid marks on the road and any parts of the vehicles that became dislodged in the accident. 

Take photographs of the entire scene including things that you think are not important.  You do not know what an accident constructionist may later need to analyze the crash.

Take photographs of the people involved in the accidents and any injuries that they may have sustained.

Take videos of any statements made by the other people involved in the crash. 

The more photographic evidence you can collect at the scene of the accident the better. 

For more information about what to do after a car accident go to zqlawyers.com

The deceased man’s family brought a lawsuit to determine who was at fault for causing his death.   Was it the person who caused the original crash which caused the back up?  Was it the truck driver who slowed down without using brake lights?   Was it the deceased driver himself for not recognizing the stopped traffic in time?  

The trial court decided that the person causing the original crash could not be responsible for the subsequent death.  The court reasoned that the separation of time and distance were substantial enough to relieve the person who caused the original crash from liability.   Upon appeal of that decision,  the appellate court reversed the trial courts decision stating that a question of fact for the jury existed  as to whether the original crash and subsequent pile up on the interstate caused the drivers death.  The court reminded that large separations of time and distance are not enough standing alone to completely relieve the original driver for liability. 

Therefore, the case is back at the trial level and this Daytona Beach Personal Injury Attorney is curious to see how the jury decides.

The report says that the ailing economy is partially responsible for the decrease.  The downturn in the economy has resulted in less motorists on the roadways, less tourists on the road, and drivers traveling at reduced speeds in a effort to reduce fuel consumption.  

The reduction is also due to improved safety features in cars, law enforcement initiatives such as click it or ticket and tougher traffic laws  and penalties for law breakers.  I make my living representing the families of those killed in traffic accidents in Wrongful Death lawsuits.   I see first hand the devisation that traffic fatalities cause and I am proud of Florida for becoming a safer place to driver, regardless of the reason.

Then the two participants started drinking screwdrivers (vodka and orange juice) until they both reached the legal driving limit of 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content.   Car and Driver ran the same test with the participants again.   The results:  both drivers did much worse while texting than while intoxicated. 

To illustrate the difference in reaction times, while driving 70 m.p.h. one of the drivers stopped an average of four feet farther while driving drunk and an average of 70 feet farther while texting.   This test was conducted on a straight road wihout any traffic, road signals, or pedestrians, and they were only looking at reaction times.  Imagine the damage that would be caused in a real life roadway setting.   Imagine driving down your  Interstate 95,  only to be reaer ended by someone who stopped 70 feet to late because of text messaging.   

Seven states have banned text messaging for all drivers: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington. The District of Columbia also bans all drivers from text-messaging.   In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in nine states: Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.  School bus drivers are banned from text messaging in Arkansas, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Based on the test done in Car and Driver,  every state has laws against driving while intoxicated and this Daytona Beach Injury Attorney thinks that every state should have a law against texting while driving as well.