Death Due to an Accident: Fatal Bus Stop Accident Testament to New Report Showing Florida Drivers Worst in the Country
At 9:30 p.m. on July 21, Henry Paz crashed into bus stop near West 16th Avenue and 49th Street in Hialeah. The Miami Herald reports that Paz’s car hit two men; one of which was hit with such force that he flew into the drive-thru of a nearby restaurant. That man was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim, 24-year old Jonathan Manuel Cordero, was hit below the knees. He was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital where both of his legs had to be amputated. Cordero was waiting for the bus home from Home Depot, where he spent 50-80 hours a week working.
According to Paz, he was on his way home from a Chili’s restaurant when his tire blew out. This caused him to lose control of his car as it jumped the curb, sending him flying into the bus stop where the two unsuspecting men were standing. Rather than stop and see if the injured needed any help, La Paz fled the scene—blown out tire and all. Police found Paz’s car less than a mile away from the scene where he parked it on the side of the road; he had stopped to call a tow truck. Paz has since been arrested on two charges: leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury.
This is the latest in a series of accidents—several of which have been “hit and runs”—in the Miami/Hialeah area. In fact, according to a newly released report conducted by a Slate.com writer, Hialeah ranks third for the worst drivers in the country. Miami ranks first, and not in a good way. The study, while not necessarily a model of scientific precision, took into account information from other traffic-accident studies, government statistics on auto accidents, and accident information from insurance companies. It considered such things as accidents resulting in death, drunk driving accidents, pedestrian-automobile accidents and incidents of road rage.
The study found Miami was the worst in automotive fatalities and pedestrian-automobile accidents. Hialeah, while ranking just 39th in the number of accidents, ranked startlingly high in the fatality category at third. Hialeah drivers have a 77 percent greater chance of getting into an accident than drivers in other cites, the report determined.
Have you or a family member been involved in an accident that you believe was caused by someone else’s negligent or reckless driving? If so, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Please, give one of our experienced auto accident attorneys a call to schedule a meeting or phone conference. Our knowledgeable attorneys will help determine if you have a case. And remember, there is no risk to calling because we don’t collect anything in unless we can recover for you.
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