Blog - CGWC

Frustrated by low wages and a shortage of troopers to bear the work load, many troopers are leaving their jobs with the Florida Highway Patrol for higher paying and less demanding jobs with other law enforcement agencies.

Many now wonder if the shortage of FHP officers is not a public safety concern. In fact, on the day of the tragic I-4 pile-up that involved about 75 vehicles and caused five deaths, only two troopers were on duty to patrol Polk County which is about the size of the entire state of Delaware.

According to the FHP's new director, the weather wasn't the only cause of the I-4 pile-up. Speeding motorists caused the accident. We all know what it's like to be on any interstate highway in Florida while trying to drive within the speed limit. You feel as if you'll be run over by automobiles, SUV's and tractor trailers passing you as if you are sitting still. People speed in large part because of the lack of a physical presence of law enforcement. This must be corrected.

The fewer troopers there are to enforce the law, the more people will die in avoidable accidents as a result of reckless speeders. There are almost 200 vacancies with the FHP right now statewide. Unless wages are increased, it may get worse. Do your part. Don't speed just because there's no one to stop you and give you a citation.

The Florida Insurance Commissioner suspended Allstate Insurance Company from selling new policies in Florida this week. Why? Because Allstate has refused to produce subpoenaed documents after it requested authority to hike consumers' insurance rates as much as 42%.

The State of Florida wants to know why Allstate thinks such exorbitant rate hikes are necessary after years of massive profits and in a year when property insurers should be lowering rates.

Subpoenas issued by the Office of Insurance Regulation seek disclosure of the so-called McKinsey documents in which McKinsey & Company instructed Allstate how to systematically underpay claims starting in the mid-1990's. The content of these internal documents is so explosive that Allstate has ignored a fine of $ 25,000 per day in a similar Missouri case to avoid disclosure. Among those reports are documents that apparently reflect a scheme by Allstate to reduce rates by purposefully and systematically refusing to examine the validity of each individual claim.

The Florida Insurance Commissioner says these claims handling practices violate Florida's Unfair Insurance Trade Practices Act and are harmful to Florida's Allstate customers. Governor Crist says Florida Allstate customers should "fire Allstate" because they charge incredibly high rates, are withholding documents relevant to their claim to a rate hike entitlement and are behaving in a "beyond inappropriate" manner.

As more details come to light about the devastating pileups on I-4 involving 70 vehicles, including scores of passenger vehicles and dozens of heavy trucks, a fifth person died from injuries sustained in a related crash on the highway. The man was one of several construction workers traveling to a job site in two minivans when they encountered the dense fog and smoke on I-4 and got caught in a pileup. The minivans were crushed by the impacts of multiple vehicles, including a tractor-trailer truck. Several of the men suffered severe injuries to their backs, shoulders, and faces, but one suffered a severe brain injury and had to be put on life support. He slipped into a coma and then died.

Here's how the crash happened. At 10 am on January 8, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lit a controlled burn. In the dry conditions of the day, the fire got out of control, and though firefighters were called to the scene and fought courageously, one of them suffering second-degree burns to his arms and face, the blaze has engulfed over 500 acres by that night. At this point, the Florida Highway Patrol is notified of the smoke danger, and promises to close the road if necessary. Although by 2 am visibility drops to only a quarter-mile and stays there until after 8 am, the FHP only puts out smoke warning signs. In the county, there were only two deputies able to respond to crashes and monitor the fog conditions, and both were called to crashes, unable to make the decision to close the road. The first crash occurs at 4:30 am, and the first police officer on the scene at 4:54 am is caught in the accident as it unfolds. By 5:07, state troopers close the highway, but by then there were over 10 pileups involving 70 vehicles, with five fatalities and nearly 40 injuries, not to mention the extensive damage to property.

Questions remain about how the fire was allowed to rage so much out of control, and why the decision to close the road was left as a secondary concern to two deputies with many other pressing issues to attend. The leading edge of the crash is suspiciously thick with semi trucks that were either the cause of the crash or plowed through other vehicles in the wreck, leading one to wonder whether the accident might have been avoided if truckers had responded to the condition appropriately. If you or a loved one were involved in this or any other automobile accident, call the experienced auto accident attorneys at CGWC for a free consultation.

Today, fog and smoke along Interstate 4, 12 miles west of Highway 27 set the stage for a 50-car pileup that has left at least three people dead, seven in serious condition, and several more trapped in their cars amid burning wreckage. When the smoke from a controlled burn drifted across the highway this morning, it combined with the fog off the cool, damp earth, reducing visibility. It is unclear how the crash started, but once it began, it continued, with over 20 tractor-trailer trucks and dozens of passenger vehicles heaped up.

Circling traffic helicopters could see the twisted metal and burning wrecks through the smoke, a thick black column rising from the crash. The fires gave the fog and smoke a hellish glow in the predawn darkness and early morning light. One reporter said, "I've never seen anything like this before. I'm at a loss for words." Polk County Sherriffs have declared the crash site too dangerous to approach by car, so sheriffs are making their way by foot to render aid and assess damages.

If you were involved in this terrible accident or had a loved one involved, call the experienced auto accident attorneys at CGWC.

Florida PIP coverage provides insurance benefits that cover 80% of the automobile owners medical expenses and 60% of the automobile owners wage loss sustained as a result of an auto accident, regardless of fault, up to $ 10,000. The coverage also applies to passengers and relatives of the insured owner's household. Failure to carry this insurance can result in suspension of an owner's driver's license or vehicle registration.

If you are injured in an automobile accident and have questions about your legal rights, call the experienced auto accident attorneys at CGWC for a free consultation.