Fort Myers injury lawyers

Fort Myers injury lawyer hit and run Hit-and-run accidents are both incredibly problematic and far too pervasive in Florida. On average, the state clocks 103,000 hit-and-run crashes annually, an incident rate that has climbed 40 percent in the last decade, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). Every year, more than 1,000 people suffer serious bodily injury in these crashes and hundreds lose their lives. Pedestrians and bicyclists tend to be disproportionately affected.

As Fort Myers injury lawyers can explain, hit-and-run crashes also pose significant hurdles for victims seeking compensation. Understanding the legal avenues that may be available in these situations is an imperative.

Factors Contributing to High Hit-and-Run Accident Rates in Florida

Florida isn’t the only state to have issues with hit-and-runs, but it consistently ranks among the highest in the country.

Some of the most common contributing factors in Fort Myers hit-and-run cases include:

At-risk drivers. Studies have shown that a disproportionate number of at-fault drivers in hit-and-run crashes are young males with prior arrests for driving under the influence. Alcohol impairment at the time of the accident is also common. (It’s also worth noting that males make up 70 percent of hit-and -run victims in single car/single pedestrian crashes.)
Socioeconomic factors. Drivers who flee accident scenes frequently operate older vehicles that are not insured. A driver whose finances are precarious may be more motivated to avoid the legal and/or financial repercussions of a crash.
Environmental conditions. Reduced visibility due to dawn, dusk, nighttime, brush fires, rain, fog, etc. — all of that can contribute to the likelihood of accidents in general, but especially hit-and-run crashes. It may also embolden some drivers to flee, believing they’re less likely to be identified.
Urban environment. Cities tend to have higher rates of hit-and-run crashes than rural areas, likely thanks to higher population density and the fact that there are more pedestrians in urban areas.

Historically, drivers in Florida may have been motivated to flee because the penalties for fleeing the scene of a crash were far less severe than a serious or fatal drunk driving crash. That has since changed, with changes to F.S. 316.027, which makes it a third-degree felony to commit a hit-and-run. If the crash involved serious injury or death, it’s elevated to a second-degree felony.

Whatever happens in the criminal case, civil claims are handled separately.