Platt, Hopwood, Russell & Cole Law Blog

The worst part of any commute is contending with the rest of the drivers around you. You have to keep your wits about you and focus on what you're doing or else you might end up in a car accident you can't afford.

Florida's problems with distracted drivers are well-documented, and the state maintains a campaign to help mitigate the dangers of distracted driving. Their view is that all distracted driving falls into three categories: not watching the road (visual), not holding the wheel (manual) and not thinking about the drive (cognitive). Knowing the classifications doesn't keep you safe on its own, you must take action.

Most Florida motorists following the traffic laws and rules of the road, but they can't always avoid the recklessness of other drivers. Unfortunately, negligence and recklessness of one driver can result in serious motor vehicle accidents to unsuspecting travelers. One family is grieving the death of a loved one after a wrong-way driver caused a fatal collision.

A 35-year-old man was traveling eastbound in westbound lanes early on a recent morning. He crashed his pickup truck head-on into another vehicle. The impact of the crash resulted in the pickup flipping on its side, and witnesses reported that the other vehicle appeared to be shredded.

Police say distracted driving and blinding sunlight are to blame for a crash involving a group of 14 bicyclists in Davie, Florida over Thanksgiving weekend. Several riders were injured and one woman, identified as Denise Marsh, 53, died after being transported to the hospital.

Officers at the scene of the accident stated that they did not believe the driver was speeding, or that alcohol or drugs were the cause of the accident. They also stated that the did not believe the woman was texting while driving, a common cause of traffic accidents. The driver reportedly admitted that something in her vehicle distracted her momentarily, but there are no details as to what that distraction was.

Many individuals dream of moving to Florida or remaining here during their retirement years. Sadly, many may find their retirement plans altered due to a high-asset divorce after the age of 50. Special attention must be paid to retirement assets, Social Security benefits and insurance policies during a so-called gray divorce in order to protect future living expenses.

A gray divorce involves spouses over the age of 50 and often occurs after a couple has accumulated wealth and significant retirement funds. Many individuals in this age group have pension plans that may have unique rules and require specific court orders to acquire shares. An individual's attorney must file for a Qualified Domestic Relations Order, which must then be submitted to the retirement account administrator. If a former spouse is to be designated as the surviving beneficiary to a former spouse's pension plan, it must be documented in the final divorce decree.