Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer - Hit-And-Run

UNF Student Hit And Killed By Two Hit-And-Run Drivers

Eddie Farah — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:27:05 GMT

He was a 23-year-old graduate student at the University of North Florida.

Yasser Hamdy, from Egypt, was killed in a double hit-and-run early Thursday morning.

Hamdy and two friends were riding their scooters back to the UNF campus from McDonalds about 2 a.m. Traveling eastbound on Beach Boulevard, one driver struck him from behind. Hamdy was then thrown into the middle of the road. That's where a second car struck him and dragged him 60 to 70 feet, Channel 4 reports.

Hamdy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Friends of Yasser say the MBA student was a wonderful friend and person who would do anything for you and always had a smile. His classmates say they are still in shock.

Neither one of these driver stopped. That is a big mistake that can land a driver in jail for up to 15 years.

Thursday afternoon, the second driver turned himself in to authorities.

The Florida Highway Patrol would like the public's help in finding the first vehicle, reported to be a light-colored Honda, or Honda-type car. It likely sustained front-end or windshield damage when it hit Hamdy.

Crimstoppers can be reached a 1-866-845-TIPS.

Our heart goes out to his family for this senseless loss.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Nurse Hit-and-Run Victim Outside Hospital, Suspect Arrested

Eddie Farah — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:25:13 GMT

Police in Jacksonville have arrested a man they say is responsible for hitting a nurse outside of Shands Hospital Sunday night, then driving off.

The victim, Karen Elaine Hanel, 54, was hit as she was reporting to work and walking in a crosswalk outside the hospital around 7 p.m.

Dvon Biggs, 34, says he was looking in his mirror and didn’t see the woman. He then made the grave mistake of leaving the scene. Biggs says he didn’t have a valid license.

We are so sorry for the family of Hanel and wish her the speediest of recoveries. Her condition is not known at this time.

Biggs has taken a bad situation and made it worse. Not only were police following him for running a stop sign before he hit Hanel, but after he hit her, he continued speeding through downtown Jacksonville until eventually he ran into an occupied home to hide.

Officers arrested him shortly before 11 p.m. and he is now jailed, facing numerous charges, including leaving the scene of an accident, and is being held on $235,000 bond.

State law requires you stay at the scene of an accident. It is not an admission of guilt. To hit-and-run only increases the charges and rightly so.

Again, we wish this innocent victim well in her recovery. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Florida Fatal Highway Accidents Down, Alcohol Use Deaths Up

Eddie Farah — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:11:00 GMT

Fatal accidents on Florida's roads are down four percent, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, but deaths from alcohol-related crashes are on the rise.

For the second year in a row, the number of traffic accidents is down as are the number of deaths from those accidents - down more than four percent from 2006. With the price of gas, it's possible that some people are driving slower to conserve on precious fuel, therefore reducing the number of accidents. The number of injuries also decreased but only by one percent.

There is another side to these statistics – the number of alcohol-related fatalities is up more than 13 percent! “Which means too many people are drinking and driving, making bad decisions, getting behind the wheel,” FHP Lt. Bill Leeper told Channel 4.

Among motorcycle riders, the number of crashes is up just over two percent and the number of people injured in those crashes is up as well.

There is nothing more devastating than trying to recover from an auto or motorcycle accident. If you need help working with an insurance company that's resistant to fully paying your claim, a competent accident attorney can help you with the details and paperwork so you can concentrate on getting better. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed Blind Athlete Gets 5 Years

Eddie Farah — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:28:00 GMT

Often times a hit-and-run driver is never apprehended. They get away knowing they can get away with it. That was not the case with the driver who hit Darryl Green.

Darryl Green was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Last June, the blind athlete from Philadelphia was trying to cross U.S. 1 northbound in St. Augustine, Florida when he was struck and killed by a driver who then took off.

Green, 24, had come to Florida for a goalball tournament at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine. He was with teammates from the Delaware County Blind Sports Organization’s Venom team at the school when he decided to return to his hotel to use the bathroom.

He was on his cell phone trying to get oriented when his friend heard the drop of the phone. There was no sidewalk and step down alerting the man he was in the road.

Semaj Massey did not stop but was arrested two days later after police found her SUV with damage consistent with debris from the scene in a motel parking lot.

She’ll have a good long time to think about what she did. Wednesday she was sentenced to spend five years in prison.

Darryl Green is described as a dedicated athlete who never missed a practice. His teammates say he is missed today and will be for a long time.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah