Motorcycle Accident

Published on: January 6, 2014

Georgia Motorcyclist Dies in Florida Turnpike Accident

A Georgia motorcyclist is dead after a driver traveling behind him on the Florida Turnpike failed to see him brake for traffic Saturday evening. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred not long after sunset on Saturday in Martin County. Twenty-three-year-old Vivian R. Hagerty was driving north on the turnpike behind sixty-four-year-old Joseph Comparetto, who was traveling on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The accident report revealed that Hagerty and Comparetto were heading north near mile marker 130, about three miles south of Martin Downs Boulevard, when the crash happened.

Comparetto, a resident of Cartersville, Georgia, was forced to slow down for traffic in front of him. This is when Hagerty apparently struck Comparetto from behind. Comparetto was thrown off his motorcycle and landed in the emergency lane. After landing, he was allegedly hit by seventy-year-old Jupiter resident John Hastings, who was driving a 2008 Ford Edge. Comparetto was pronounced dead at the accident scene. According to the report, he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

Man dies in motorcycle accident on Florida’s Turnpike in Martin County, www.palmbeachpost.com January 5, 2013

Published on: April 5, 2013

Motorcycle Flies off Exit Ramp on I-95 and Falls on Car

by Friedland | Carmona

Monday evening around 7 p.m. a motorcycle, in a scene that looked like it had been pulled straight out of a movie or television show, flew over an exit ramp’s wall, landed on a vehicle driving below, then burst into flames. Both the motorcyclist and automobile driver were transported to the hospital, but neither suffered serious injuries.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Ricardo Lambert, the twenty-two-year-old driver of the motorcycle from North Miami, was driving northbound approaching the exit ramp to State Road 84 when he lost control of the motorcycle. He hit a curb and was thrown from his bike onto the roadway. Luckily, Lambert was wearing a helmet.

The motorcycle continued to roll, however, until it climbed over the exit ramp wall and fell below, landing on top of an automobile. The automobile was a 1994 Nissan Sentra driven by Bret Krupnik, forty, of Hollywood. Upon impact, the Sentra burst into flames. Krupnik was able to escape from the vehicle without suffering serious injuries. The crash closed lanes of the highway for hours, causing a heavy build-up of traffic. Lambert, the driver of the motorcycle, was charged with careless driving.

Bike flies off Interstate 95 ramp in Broward, falls on car, bursts into flames, www.miamiherald.com April 01, 2013

Published on: March 22, 2013

Florida Keys U.S. 1 Site of Many Serious Injury and Fatal Crashes

by Friedland | Carmona

U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys has recently become the site of a number of fatal and serious injury accidents. Since March 1, more than a half dozen serious accidents have been reported from the 18-Mile Stretch that connects the Keys to the mainland down through Key Largo. These crashes have involved individuals from both South Florida and from as far away as Colorado.

On Tuesday morning, just after 7:00 a.m., sixty-seven-year-old James Hightower of Islamorada was driving northbound on U.S. 1’s inside lane in his 2004 Ford F-150. The Florida Highway Patrol stated that, for reasons yet to be determined, Hightower drove off the road at mile marker 99 and struck a traffic sign, bushes, and then crashed into a former KFC restaurant. Hightower was transported to Mariners Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Hightower became the seventh traffic fatality in the Keys this year.

Hightower’s crash occurred less than twelve hours after another crash near the same location. That crash ultimately led to the closing of the 18-Mile Stretch and the arrest of Lenna Danker, fifty-seven, of Homestead. Danker was involved in a hit-and-run at mile marker 99 Monday evening around 7:00 p.m. Apparently, Danker struck a 2013 Chrysler 300 with her 2012 Nissan Rogue SUV. Troopers say that fifteen minutes later, Danker made her way to mile marker 111 where she collided with the east concrete barrier wall. Her vehicle then overturned three times in a northerly direction. Danker was transported to Mariners Hospital and the stretch remained closed for about two hours.

Florida keys highway sees fresh spate of crashes, death, destruction, www.miamiherald.com March 21, 2013

Published on: November 30, 2012

Motorcycle Accidents Cost $16 Billion Annually

by Friedland | Carmona

A new government report issued this week stated that in 2010, direct costs from motorcycle accidents cost $16 billion, but those costs are expected to rise over the coming years due to the difficult in measure long-term medical expenses. Motorcycle drivers are thirty times more likely to die in a crash and have more significant injuries that victims injured in regular car crashes. In 2010, over 80,000 motorcyclists were injured in crashes, with almost 5,000 left dead.
The average cost for a fatal motorcycle crash is about $1.2 million, with costs spiking to $1.4 million depending on the severity of the injuries. Certain costs can be difficult to anticipate because care is long term and expensive, but follow up costs are only being estimated for a few years post-accident. Further, long-term injuries can cause changes in employment and living status and those costs are often not adequately anticipated or measured.

Laws requiring motorists have been found to be the only effective strategy to reducing motorcycle fatalities and injuries. Wearing a helmet reduces a rider’s risk of death by almost forty percent. However, few states have “mandatory” helmet laws; instead, most states have “partial” helmet laws, which require riders under a specific age to wear helmets. However, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation does not advocate for mandatory helmet laws. The vice president of the Foundation stated, “We are 100 percent pro-helmet, and 100 percent anti-helmet law. Putting a helmet law in place does not reduce motorcycle fatalities.” Instead of mandatory helmet laws, the Foundation encourages education – teaching motorcyclists how to ride safely is the ultimate solution. The president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety disagrees and supports mandatory helmet laws.

Motorcycle deaths, injuries cost $16 billion, www.miamiherald.com November 27, 2012.

Published on: November 2, 2012

Keys Woman Dies In Motorcycle Accident After Beating Cancer

by Friedland | Carmona

Marlin Joyce Gunter of Marathon, Florida died Saturday while riding her motorcycle near mile marker 29. She was a passenger on her 2004 Harley Davidson bike, which was being driven by her friend Thomas Bateman, when they were rear-ended by another car. The force of the impact pushed the bike into a Jeep ahead of them. Both Gunter and Batement were thrown from the motorcycle and into the highway. Gunter was taken to Fishermen’s Community Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Bateman was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma.

Gunter recently overcame a form of cancer related to Hepatitis C and was working on regaining her physical strength. Her cancer had kept her from riding her motorcycle until recently. According to her longtime friends, Gunter loved riding and was always riding on someone’s bike. Gunter was a longtime board member of the Southernmost Chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE). Gunter’s death marked the seventeenth traffic-related death this year south of Florida City.

Keys woman who just beat cancer dies in motorcycle crash, www.miamiherald.com November 01, 2012.

Published on: September 24, 2012

Bonita Springs Man Left Handicapped After Motorcycle Accident

by Friedland | Carmona

Thirty-five year old Thomas Labelle was driving his 2002 Harley Davidson motorcycle down Interstate 75 when he lost control and struck a cable barrier. The collision with the barrier completely severed Labelle’s right arm. Labelle was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital via helicopter after the 6:15 crash for medical treatment. Other news sources report that Labelle also might ultimately lose his leg as a result of the crash.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, Labelle was following Andrew Adame’s Ford Taurus down Interstate 75 on his motorcycle and the two vehicles were both driving faster than the 70 mph speed limit and were changing lanes frequently. Adame stepped on his brakes as he approached slower traffic ahead of him, forcing Labelle, who was following closely and riding without a helmet, to make a sharp left to avoid colliding with him. Labelle’s motorcycle drove into the median and struck the cable barrier. Labelle’s motorcycle flipped over the cable and Labelle was thrown off of the motorcycle. While midair, Labelle’s arm clipped the cable and was severed. Labelle landed in the median. Adame fled the scene, but was later brought back and is facing charges.

Bonita Springs man severs arm in motorcycle crash on I-75, www.naplesnews.com September 24, 2012.

Published on: August 27, 2012

Injured Couple Attempts To Hold Teen Liable For Sending Message To Driver

by Friedland | Carmona

texting-while-driving-how-dangerous-is-it-photo-283840-s-429x262.jpg In September 2009, David and Linda Kubert were riding their motorcycle when a teenager, Kyle Best, who was texting while driving, crashed into them. Both David and Linda lost a leg in the accident–David’s leg was torn off above the knee during the crash and Linda eventually had to have her leg amputated. Following the accident, the couple moved from Dover to Florida, where they continue to struggle financially because neither has returned to work. The couple subsequently filed a lawsuit against Best.

The Kuberts recently settled with Best for $500,000, which is the maximum payment that Best’s insurance carrier would cover. While the parties have settled, the Kuberts are still planning to appeal the judge’s ruling that Best’s girlfriend, Shannon Colonna was not liable in the accident. The Kuberts believe she is liable because she sent Best a text message prior to the crash and he was responding to her message when he injured the Kuberts. The Kuberts believe that her text messages play a role in the accident because she “should have known Best was driving and texting her at the same time.” The Kuberts attorney argued that Colonna was “electronically present,” while Colonna’s attorney argued that Colonna had no control of when Best would read and return her message and that she was unaware that Best was driving when she sent the message. This is believed to be the first case of its kind in the United States.

Best has pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including distracted driving, use of a cell phone while driving and “acknowledging a series of text messages he exchanged with Colonna around the time of the accident.” According to phone records, Best responded to a text from Colonna before dialing 911. The court ordered Best to speak to 14 high schools about texting while driving and to pay $775 in fines. Best did not lose his license.

2 hurt by NJ text-messaging driver settle lawsuit, www.miamiherald.com August 21, 2012.

Published on: August 17, 2012

Motorcycle Collides With Truck In Port St. Lucie, 1 Dead

by Friedland | Carmona

Guido Biallo was driving down Southwest Rosser Boulevard near Southwest Meridian Avenue in Port St. Lucie last week when he motorcycle collided with a truck. The accident, which occurred on Southwest Rosser Boulevard in western Port St. Lucie around 8:00 p.m., left Biallo, 52, dead.

Police have begun a preliminary investigation into the matter and believe that Biallo turned north onto Southwest Rosser Boulevard from Southwest Meridian Avenue. He then crossed over a double yellow line and collided with a Ford truck that was being driven by Matthew J. Gallagher. Police declared Biallo dead at the scene. Gallagher was not injured in the collision.

Motorcyclist dies in traffic accident in Port St. Lucie , www.tcpalm.com August 10, 2012.

Published on: February 6, 2012

Hialeah Soldier Killed in I-95 Motorcycle Crash

by Friedland | Carmona

He was a soldier. He was a Border Patrol agent. He was a motorcyclist. He wasn’t killed during his tour in Iraq. Drug smugglers or boarder jumpers didn’t kill him. Cheldon Levay Glover was killed after a car struck his motorcycle as he was driving down Intestate 95 on January 5, 2012. Glover was heading down I-95 near 151st Street when a van knocked his bike into traffic and kept driving. A Mercedes Benz soon struck him also. The driver of the Mercedes stopped and called 911. Thirty-year old Glover was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center, where doctors diagnosed Glover with several broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken pelvis. Glover died eight days later at the Trauma Center of a heart attack, leaving behind a one-year old daughter.

According to Glover’s father, he had always wanted to be a solider. G.I. Joes interested Glover more than any other toy as a child. By his high school graduation, Glover had enrolled in the Army National Guard’s 743 Maintenance Division. Prior to his deployment to Iraq, Glover also passed the quartermaster chemical-equipment repair course at Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Ground. Those who knew him said he had a soldier’s mentality. But he was also very personable. Glover had arrived home less than a week earlier to surprise his family. He arrived at his sister’s surprise graduation party and, according to party guests, she was in a state of shock when she saw Glover.

Cheldon Glover, Border Patrol agent, killed in motorcycle accident, , www.miamiherald.com January 18, 2012.

Published on: July 25, 2011

Port St. Lucie Widow Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Police Officer

by Friedland | Carmona

In June of last year, John Garcia was killed while riding his motorcycle in the early morning hours. John Holman failed to yield to Garcia as he was making a left hand turn and crashed his Jeep Wrangler into the sixty-three year old man’s motorcycle. Florida Highway Patrol cited Holman but the citation was dismissed when the police officer did not appear at the hearing. Holman is a Port St. Lucie police sergeant who was off-duty at the time of the accident. Holman’s son was riding with him at the time of the accident and neither sustained injuries. Garcia, however, died at the scene.

Garcia’s widow filed a wrongful death suit on behalf oh herself and Garcia’s son Derek. The wrongful death suit is seeking more than $1 million in damages. The suit also lists Holman’s wife as a defendant because she also owns the Jeep Wrangler. The Garcia family attorney, Guy Rubin, is considering asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate how the Florida Highway Patrol Officer handed the investigation, questioning why Holman only received a failure to yield ticket when Garcia died as a result of vehicular homicide.

Port St. Lucie police sergeant sued for role in fatal 2010 crash, www.tcpalm.com July 21, 2011.