Florida DUI Traffic Ticket Lawyer Blog

There have been 65 Florida traffic tickets issued in Manatee County since the state-wide “Click It Or Ticket” program began. Police in the area believe in the campaign and if the people of Manatee didn’t all they need to do is look at two car accidents that last two days according to officials. Both cars accidents were single-car crashes, both drivers were ejected from their cars and both died. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

A Traffic citation in Florida for a seat belt violation carries a $116 fine and in recent years the Florida legislature has increased law enforcement’s authority to ticket seat belt violators. Seat belt violations are now a primary offense meaning you can be pulled over for that violation alone. In the past a driver had to be committing another infraction like speeding or reckless driving and then that person could be ticketed if they were not wearing a seat belt.

A 20-year-old Port St. Lucie woman has been charged with careless driving after she crashed into a Florida Highway Patrol car parked in the median of I-95. Samone Meriweather apparently did not notice traffic slowed ahead of her and she swerved into the median to avoid a rear-end collision. She avoided one accident but got into another as she crashed into the FHP cruiser.

Meriweather had two children in the car with her at the time of the accident. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune none of the four people involved in the car accident were hurt seriously. The car accident did back-up traffic on I-95 outside of Jupiter for several miles in each direction.

A 20-year-old Port St. Lucie woman has been charged with careless driving after she crashed into a Florida Highway Patrol car parked in the median of I-95. Samone Meriweather apparently did not notice traffic slowed ahead of her and she swerved into the median to avoid a rear-end collision. She avoided one accident but got into another as she crashed into the FHP cruiser.

Meriweather had two children in the car with her at the time of the accident. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune none of the four people involved in the car accident were hurt seriously. The car accident did back-up traffic on I-95 outside of Jupiter for several miles in each direction.

The 51-year-old driver of a box truck has been charged with careless driving and driving a commercial vehicle without the correct license after he crashed into a Manatee County school bus. One student was taken to the hospital as was the driver of the box truck who caused the traffic accident, John E. Morgan. The accident took place as the school bus was on its way to Haile Middle School.

According to the story on the Sarasota Herald Tribune website, the bus was stopped picking up a girl when the truck rammed into the rear of the bus. The 12-year-old boarding the bus was struck by the door as the bus was pushed 45 feet forward due to the impact. Morgan claimed his brakes failed but the Florida Highway Patrol determined the brakes were fine following an investigation.

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A driver who allegedly blew threw a red light while speeding at 60 M.P.H. at a Ybor City intersection caused a four car accident that sent at least two people to Tampa hospitals. According to witness statements printed online at TampaBay.com a woman driving a Chevy Colorado pick-up truck ran a red light driving upwards of 60 M.P.H. and had to be cut free from the truck and was taken to Tampa General Hospital.

Witnesses say the woman struck a Ford F-250 after she ran the red light. That pick-up then flipped and crashed into a Chevy Impala while the Colorado struck a GMC Jimmy which was forced into the side of a building. The driver of the Ford truck was able to crawl away from his vehicle following the collision but was taken to the hospital. Charges have not been filed on the woman driving the truck at the time the article was printed.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County and are in need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Traffic Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTicket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A 36-year-old woman with an unrestrained six-year-old child on her lap jumped a curb at the blue arrival area of Tampa International Airport. She crashed her 1994 Ford Ranger into a 1,500 gallon salt water tank that was worth upwards of $100,000. While no one in the terminal was hurt according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune’s website all 30 to 40 saltwater fish are expected to die.

Yamile Campuzano-Martinez has been cited for failure to use a child restraint device, careless driving and failure to provide a driver's license. The child riding on her lap suffered what is described as a minor head injury in the car crash and there were no reported injuries to a second child riding in the pick-up truck.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County and are in need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Traffic Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTicket.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A seven-year-old boy is in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center following a car accident on Cleveland Street at Belcher Road. According to the St. Petersburg Times website, Alan Asmitia was thrown from an SUV that ran a red light and collided with a truck and then a car. The boy was ejected from the cargo area of the SUV and hit a light pole.

According to Clearwater police, Asmitia was not wearing a seat belt nor was he in a restraint seat. He was airlifted to the hospital with critical injuries. An investigation is ongoing but according to the story alcohol does not seem to be a factor in the accident and no citations have been issued at this point.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or Pinellas County and you are in need of qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Ticket Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 4500 140 Ave. North #203.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office, 11 children were taken to the hospital for minor injuries suffered in a school bus crash Wednesday morning. TampaBay.com is reporting the bus was driven by Olga Gurerro who has been cited for violation of right of way in the traffic accident. The bus was carrying 39 students to Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin.

The collision took place at an intersection and involved a Terminix truck driven by Douglas Hayes. Neither driver was injured and most of the children suffered “bumps and bruises” according to the article. Gurerro has a clean driving record but will now be tested for drugs and alcohol, which is standars procedure following a school bus accident.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County and are in need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A traffic accident has led to the death of a Bradenton man while on the job early Friday morning. According to Sheriff’s deputies and an article on TampaBay.com 34-year-old Frederick Solomon was killed at the scene of an accident while in the midst of performing his duties as a sanitation worker in Brandon.

Solomon was behind his work truck when a Plant City man rear-ended the truck with his 1988 Toyota. The driver, 33-year-old Lloyd Cribbs, Jr. of Plant City, caused the truck to pin Solomon between it and another car killing the man. Cribbs was taken to the hospital and no charges have been filed in the death as of yet.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa that left another person injured and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourCase.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Ambulance driver Justin McKenzie has been charged with careless driving for causing an accident that led to the death of 64-year-old Jerold Hager. The accident took place on Busch Boulevard just after 9:30 p.m. Monday evening. According to an article on TBO.com, McKenzie was trying to maneuver around stopped traffic and hit Hager head on sending the man to the hospital where he somewhat unexpectedly died of his injuries Tuesday morning.

Hager was driving his two grandsons home from Boy Scouts when the traffic accident occurred. Neither of the children suffered serious injuries. The story says that neither vehicle was speeding at the time of the crash and that McKenzie has a clean criminal history outside of a 2000 traffic ticket for speeding.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Hillsborough County Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Timothy Thompkins has turned himself into police at Faulkenburg Road jail following a Tuesday night car accident that he was involved in. According to TampaBay.com Thompkins crashed into a marked police cruiser on Gibsonton Drive near I-75 and then left the scene.

Deputy Brian Craig was injured in the traffic accident and was taken to University Commons Hospital with minor injuries. The accident took place at 9:00 p.m. when Thompkins’ Grand Am was headed northbound towards the highway. The 19-year-old is facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa that led to criminal charges and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourCase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

When it comes to creative excuses to avoid traffic tickets, cops have probably heard them all. Some are legendary. The Bradenton Police Department are charged with finding out if the latest excuse for a traffic accident is real or made-up. A 33-year-old woman was involved in a single car accident and told police the cause of the crash was an abscessed tooth according to a story on Bradenton.com.

The woman claimed the pain from her bad tooth was so bad she lost control of her car and hit a flagpole, fire hydrant and bus bench. She suffered serious enough injuries that she was flown to a local hospital. The accident occurred on Manatee Avenue after 9:00 p.m. last night. The street was closed so a helicopter could land and take the woman to the hospital.

If you have been cited in a traffic accident and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff Office reported a car crash early Tuesday morning that has cost a 59-year-old man his life. As reported on the St. Petersburg Times website, Juan-Patino-Grajales died at the scene of the accident which took place on Memorial Highway. Two other men were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not listed as life-threatening.

According to police reports a 1999 Ford Explorer with three people inside was speeding when it came up on a car in the left lane. The Explorer went to pass on the right side and lost control. The car flipped over and crossed the median. Grajales was a passenger in the car and was sitting in the front seat.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting a traffic accident that has sent a 67-year-old woman to the hospital in critical condition. According to a story on TampaBay.com a Pasco County woman named Sharon Zacharias was involved in a head-on collision when a 16-year-old driver swerved out of his lane and hit her Mitsubishi pick-up.

Jonathan Kubiak was driving in Zephyrhills when his 2001 Volkswagen Jetta moved into an eastbound lane and crashed into Zacharias’ truck. Both drivers were taken to local hospitals. Kubiak’s injuries were considered minor. The teen was driving alone with only a learner’s permit. He has been charged with violation of his license and failure to stay in a designated lane.

If you have been involved in a traffic incident in Tampa that led to an accident and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A Tampa couple thought a bomb exploded in their neighborhood Monday night while they were watching television. What they heard was the sound of Felecia Ward crashing her 1994 Acura Legend into their Town ‘N Country home. According to a story on tbo.com Ward lost control of her car and crashed through a wall and penetrating two of the house’s bedrooms.

Ward, who police do not believe was intoxicated, claimed she was driving 35 M.P.H. in a 30 zone but investigators believe she may have been traveling as fast as 60 when she lost control of her vehicle. A witness told police that the 40-year-old woman drove past a stop sign and was traveling fast on Cresthill Drive. Ward has been cited for running a stop sign, failing to use due care and careless driving.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident in Tampa and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTickets.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting a deadly crash on U.S. 301 involving a Brandon woman and a Dade City man. Sue Cypkin, a 55-year-old Brandon resident, died when she hit John Shelton’s SUV. The 41-year-old driver of the Ford Explorer was taken to a Zephyrhills Hospital with minor injuries according to an article on TampaBay.com.

Police are not sure if alcohol was involved in the accident but Cypkin was said to be driving north in the southbound lane when two cars swerved to avoid a collision with her. She apparently jerked her car sideways in front of Shelton’s SUV, which crashed in the right side of her car. Cypkin was not wearing a seat belt and died at the scene.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident in Tampa and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Traffic Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website www.fightyourcase.com. Also you can contact David via email.

There is not a lot of disagreement between police and citizens in Polk County about U.S. 27. They both agree it is deadly. That fact was clearly punctuated earlier this week when a traffic accident on the road called “bloody 27” by residents left three people and an unborn baby dead. A 23-year old, a pregnant 17-year-old and an 11-month-old baby were killed at the intersection approaching I-4. Now according to a story on the ABC Action News website, residents want the county to do more to make the intersection safer.

Residents are calling for lower speed limits for drivers trying to get on Interstate 4 and also a traffic light to better control driving patterns. At the least, they would like some signs alerting drivers to an upcoming intersection. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd may not disagree it is a dangerous stretch of road but he made the point that the latest deaths could have been prevented by seat belts and a proper restraint for the baby. Polk County residents countered that assertion by saying that wouldn’t have done anything to prevent the accident.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident in Hillsborough County and need qualified legal representation please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website www.fightyourticket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

An illegal immigrant from Mexico who was driving a construction vehicle the wrong way with his lights off on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County caused a fatal accident and has now been sentenced to six-years in prison. Agustin Trejo was driving a track hoe excavator on the wrong side of the road when he swerved to avoid an oncoming pick-up truck. While avoiding the head-on collision, the bucket portion of the truck struck Donald Cochran’s truck causing him to crash. He was dead when police arrived on the scene.

According to the Tampa Tribune, Trejo has been sentenced to six-years in jail following a manslaughter plea in the accident that was caused by his reckless driving. After serving his time, Trejo is expected to be deported to Mexico. Just 18 at the time and working for a company contracted by Verizon, Trejo apologized for the accident and fully cooperated with police following the crash.

If you have been charged with a crime in Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Criminal Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at fightyourpinellasarrest.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Ave. N #203.

A Jacksonville teenager is facing nine criminal charges following a traffic accident that killed four of his friends. The SUV he was driving rolled off I-295 in Jacksonville and the accident resulted in four of the eight passengers dying. Most of the eight teenagers were students at Ed White High School. (read more)

Hodges, the 15-year-old driver, turned himself in to police and was held overnight in a juvenile detention center. He is facing eight felony charges and one misdemeanor charge including driving without a license, causing death; driving without a license, causing injury; and careless driving. The case will be tried in juvenile court according to the State’s Attorney but Hodges’ lawyer claims if it wasn’t for his client’s age there would never have been charges filed.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident anywhere in Florida please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping by our comprehensive website.

Austin Bottie had a rough morning. The 20-year-old Safety Harbor resident crashed his 2006 Honda into a home located at 102 Forest Circle at 5:00 a.m. Friday morning. Now Pinellas County Sheriffs are looking into whether alcohol was a factor and if so Bottie could end up with a possible DUI charge. (read more)

Bottie smashed into the house damaging the concrete block of the Safety Harbor home that is just 3/10 of a mile away from his own house. Bottie was treated for non-life threatening injuries while deputies try to determine what caused the crash.

If you have been charged with a DUI in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or anywhere in Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpinellasdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Pinellas office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

The Tampa Bay area has been torn over the hit-and-run case involving a teenager who ran over and killed a homeless woman and then fled the scene. The now 17-year-old girl has been offered a plea that would require she spend no time in jail. Just 60 miles away another Florida teen who driving led to a death is being charged with third-degree murder. (read more)

The case in Weeki Wachee involves 17-year-old Andrew Morris who took his mother’s car without permission and ended up causing a crash that killed Scott Bierwiler. The difference in the two cases is that Bierwiler was a Hernando County Police captain and the victim in Tampa was a homeless woman. That is the claim Morris’ attorney is making saying his client would not have been charged with murder had it not been a law enforcement agent who was killed in the traffic accident.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or have been involved in a serious traffic offense anywhere in the State of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd. or feel free to email him.

In Sarasota County this year 35 people have already died in traffic crashes. That is an increase of almost 200% compared to the same time period last year. That is why Sarasota sheriff deputies will be out in force at some of the most dangerous intersections and roads. (read more)

This past week a Sarasota resident was killed on an I-75 ramp and another teen critically injured. The sheriff’s department is hoping the extra effort on their behalf will get the point across to drivers on how important it is to be safe on Manatee County roads.

If you have been cited for a traffic offense anywhere in the state of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtickets.com to discuss the matter.

A Pinellas county Florida man was sentenced to 12 years in Florida State Prison for running a red light causing an accident that killed his wife. The sentence imposed by Judge Cynthia J. Newton on Joseph Schofield was more than the statutory requirements, most likely because of his lengthy driving record and prior criminal history including an arrest the night before the accident for possession of cocaine.

The sentence came as a result of Schofield's plea of guilty last year to vehicular homicide. The facts of the case as well as an accident reconstruction of the accident showed that Schofield was driving his Honda Prelude up to 93 mph when he collided with a truck. Although the defendant took the stand to take responsiblity for the accident in the hopes of receiving a lighter sentence, the fact that he had 8 previous speeding tickets did not help his case. Vehicular homicide, defined in Florida Statute 782.071 "is the killing of a human being caused by the operation of a motor vehicle by another in a reckless manner likely to cause the death of, or great bodily harm to another." At the time of sentencing, the Judge may consider the defendant's prior criminal history and, in the case of a driving related offense, the defendant's prior driving record.

If you have a comment about this article or would like to discuss your driving record, please contact Stephen Higgins.

The Bay area was recently ranked #1 in the country for teen traffic accidents involving death. According to a report by Allstate, the Bay Area (comprised of Tampa & Pinellas) has more teen traffic related deaths than anywhere else in the country between Thanksgiving and New Years.

Between 2000 and 2007, the bay area had 59 teen deaths as a result of traffic accidents and already in 2008, 15 teenagers have died. Florida Highway Patrol Troopers who respond to the crashes note that teens are distracted when they drive, oftentimes texting or talking on a cell phone, not paying attention or speeding. Teens also don't wear seat belts evidenced by a recent survery they gave to themselves in which teens admit that seat belt use is rare.

Aside from the horrible loss of a human being, an accident involving death is a significant traffic ticket issued to the driver who caused the death/accident. Citations involving death require a mandatory court appearance in front of a Judge who has the authority to revoke a person's license for a year and order that the defendant pay a substantial fine.

Common sense while driving may be the best deterrent to an accident. Teens need to be encouraged to wear a seat belt, drive the speed limit and pay attention to the other cars on the road, not the cell phone buzzing in their ear.