Florida drivers are no rookies when it comes to navigating roads near waterways, yet there is always the chance that an accident can happen. It is what causes Florida drivers – typically known for their boisterous control over a car’s horn and general disregard for road safety or state traffic laws – to slow down, lower their windows as they pass or carry a compact window hammer for emergencies. However, even with every precaution taken, there are times when a driver loses control of their car and the unthinkable can happen.
Two teen boys in Broward County experienced just that around 9 p.m. Wednesday when a man lost control of his car and drove into a canal on McNab Road, according to reporting from WSVN Miami. The boys were across the parking lot from the canal near a Dollar Tree when they saw a man in a pickup truck go into the water. The teens launched into action and jumped onto the hood of the car to get the man, who was unconscious, out of the vehicle.
The driver was later taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The boys are set to be honored at a City of North Lauderdale Commission Meeting in June for their heroic efforts.
The incident is still under investigation, according to local reporting. Additional details including the man’s condition or how he ended up in the water were not immediately available.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners has seen just about every tragedy that can take place on the road in its decades of practice. From rising bicyclist deaths that prompted the law firm to launch a “Share the Road” safety campaign to a record-setting verdict on behalf of a family involved in a drunk driving crash that resulted in permanent injury to their son and the loss of their daughter.
In that instance, the family was on their way to drop their daughter off at the airport so she could attend her medical school’s orientation. They had no idea that their lives would be forever changed in an instant when a drunk driver speeding and going the wrong way on I-95 hit them head-on. The family lost their 23-year-old daughter and their son, 21, was diagnosed with life-changing brain and orthopedic injuries that require constant care. Though nothing can bring back their daughter or make up for their son’s injuries, Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to obtain a $95 million verdict for the family.
The latest information available in a Crash and Citation Reports & Statistics record for 2022 shows that there were 189 crashes resulting in fatalities after the drivers ran off the road that year. Approximately 413 crashes resulting from going off the road involved injuries with incapacitated drivers or passengers. There were 1,234 crashes involving injuries in which the people in the cars were not incapacitated after drivers went off the road. About 5,205 of these incidents did not result in any injury to the driver or passengers involved in the crash. Accidents in which the driver swerved to avoid a road hazard or because of environmental factors resulted in about 29 fatal crashes and 165 crashes with incapacitating injuries to either the drivers or the passengers.
Leesfield & Partners has handled several cases in which a driver lost control of their vehicle either because the vehicle malfunctioned or because of reckless driving resulting in injury to a client. In cases of the former, involving malfunctions on vehicles such as motorcycles or an all-terrain vehicle, Leesfield & Partners has totaled approximately $31,350,000 in rewards on behalf of clients. This includes the case that permanently injured a 27-year-old man on a Honda motorcycle. The man sustained a C6 spinal cord injury when his motorcycle spun out of control because of a defected kickstand. He was left a high-level quadriplegic, also known as a tetraplegic, meaning he was paralyzed in all four limbs. Instead of settling and admitting the defect with the kickstand, the company decided to go to trial. Leesfield & Partners was able to obtain a $19.8 million reward for the man.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a crash in Florida, call 305-854-4900 to speak with a Leesfield & Partners attorney.