According to Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol are the second leading cause of Florida accident fatalities.The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) conducts drunk-driving crackdowns throughout the year in order to keep our Florida highways safe from impaired drivers.The job is tough and places our officers in harm’s way each time they attempt to stop a drunk driver.
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) recognizes the challenges law enforcement face every day, and recently honored several FHP officers for their efforts to get drunk drivers off the road. The awards were presented at the 12th annual Law Enforcement Recognition ceremony hosted by MADD in May.
Trooper Jose Ramirez was presented with the 2012 Hurd-Smith award for arresting 142 impaired drivers in 2011. The award, in honor of two troopers who were killed in the line of duty by drunk drivers, is presented to the trooper who makes the most Driving Under the Influence arrests for the year.
Seven other troopers from across the state were recognized as Century Achievers for their efforts to remove impaired drivers from the roadways by making more than 100 DUI arrests in 2011. The troopers are: Gabriel Keyes, John Catani, Gregory Elias, Deborah Hawkins, Gregory Healy, Deanna Martinez and Sean Laljie.
Trooper Raymond Addison was recognized as a Millennium Achiever for making more than 1,600 DUI arrests during his career.
MADD reports that nationwide every 52 minutes on average, someone is killed, and every 90 seconds, someone is injured in a drunk driving crash. More than 10,00 people died in drunk driving accidents in the United States in 2010. In Florida, 660 people died due to a drunk driving accident in 2010.
Our Treasure Coast car accident attorneys applaud the efforts of our brave law enforcement offers for keeping our highways safe from drunk drivers. We also ask all Florida drivers to do their part and don’t drink and drive. Also, we ask that you stop your friends from getting behind the wheel if they have been drinking.
Turn To An Experienced Florida Accident Injury Lawyer
If you have been injured in a Florida traffic accident caused by a drunk driver, contact an aggressive car accident attorney who has helped many injury victims recover from serious automobile accidents. I am attorney Philip DeBerard. I have more than three decades of legal experience representing people injured in car accidents and other personal injury claims.
At the law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, we pride ourselves on providing one-on-one attention to people across South Florida and the Treasure Coast. Our law firm represents victims of drunk driver accidents across South Florida, including Stuart, Port St.Lucie, Okeechobee, Fort Pierce, Jupiter, Palm Beach and Vero Beach and throughout South Florida and the Treasure Coast.
Call 1-800-299-8878 now to speak with a knowledgeable Florida car accident attorney or fill out our online contact form.
