Tampa Car Accident Attorney with Joyce & Reyes Comments on Wrong Way Crashes

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) April 14, 2016 – A recent string of wrong way car accidents in Florida has prompted renewed calls for increased safety measures.

Two people were killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 4 near Orlando, just days after a Hillsborough County deputy died in a wrong-way car accident when he acted to protect another driver. Another man was killed in a February crash on Florida’s Turnpike near Davie.

“Wrong way crashes are especially troubling because they are so often deadly and they are preventable,” said Robert Joyce, a Tampa car accident attorney with the law firm of Joyce & Reyes. “Driver negligence is often to blame.”

In the Tampa area crash, Hillsborough County Deputy John Kotfila Jr. apparently acted to save the life of Sarah Green when he encountered her flashing her lights at a white SUV driving toward her in the wrong direction. Green said that as she started to pull over, Kotfila maneuvered his cruiser in front of her and collided with the oncoming SUV. Green said she believes that Kotfila sacrificed his own life to save hers. Both Kotfila and the wrong way driver died at the scene. The crash took place seven miles east of Tampa at about 2:45 a.m. on March 12.

Officials believe that impaired driving is often a factor in wrong way crashes, and safety experts have called for better warning systems or physical barriers to help prevent such collisions. Impaired drivers are likely to overlook the red “wrong way” signs that are featured prominently on highway off-ramps. The Florida Department of Transportation is experimenting with LED-illuminated signs and wrong-way detection devices in pilot programs throughout the state. Some experts say that even stronger measures should be taken, such as directional spike strips can be driven over by cars going the right way, but would puncture the tires of wrong way drivers.

Learn more at http://www.joyceandreyespa.com Joyce and Reyes Law Firm, P.A. 307 S Hyde Park Ave Tampa, FL 33606 Call: 813.251.2007