Okaloosa County accounted for only a small fraction of the 380,000 traffic accidents that happened in Florida in 2024. Less than a quarter of the county’s crashes happened in Fort Walton Beach. However, those crashes that occurred tended to cluster on the most dangerous roads/intersections in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
After a crash, a Fort Walton Beach car accident lawyer from Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers helps you pursue compensation after a driver hits you. You can reach us at (850) 604-3844, or you can also contact us online.
How Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Accident in Fort Walton Beach, FL
Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers was founded to represent injured people in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, who are fighting for fair compensation. Our attorneys have over 75 years of combined legal experience. Our firm of dedicated legal professionals has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in accident compensation for our clients.
When you suffer a serious injury in a preventable incident caused by someone else’s careless or deliberate actions, we provide the following legal assistance:
- Talk to you about your injuries and how you received them
- Advise you about your options and tailor a legal strategy based on your goals
- File an insurance claim and negotiate to resolve it quickly and on fair terms
- Litigate against the at-fault party if negotiations with their insurer fail
A car accident injury can cause significant health issues and economic hardships. Contact Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a Fort Walton Beach car accident attorney to discuss your options for compensation under Florida law.
What Is Crash Clustering?
Crash clustering is a real phenomenon that occurs under certain conditions. According to a study conducted by Iowa State University, certain types of collisions, such as red light collisions, tend to happen more frequently at certain intersections. These crash hotspots develop because of many factors, such as:
- Road design
- Traffic patterns and congestion
- Traffic controls or a lack of controls
For example, truck accidents happen more frequently on a heavily traveled highway because trucks use it rather than surface roads.
Liability for Crashes on Dangerous Roads
Although environmental factors play a role in the development of crash hotspots, the most influential factor is how drivers react to them. Importantly, this means drivers usually cannot shift responsibility for hitting someone by blaming traffic congestion, road design, or other conditions they encounter.
Drivers are responsible for adapting to the conditions they encounter. They cannot escape liability by blaming their location in a crash cluster for rear-ending a motorcycle. Instead, they will be liable for not adjusting their speed to avoid a motorcycle accident.
Road and Intersection Crashes
Road and intersection car accidents occur for different reasons. Road accidents tend to involve rear-end and sideswipe collisions. The following behaviors often lead to these crashes:
- Following too closely
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Inattentive driving
- Changing lanes unsafely
By contrast, intersection collisions often result from a failure to yield the right of way. When cars meet at an intersection, the traffic controls and right-of-way rules determine which driver can proceed and which must wait. Some common scenarios that lead to side-impact and angle collisions at intersections include the following:
- Running a stop sign or red light
- Turning right on a red light or stop sign in front of an oncoming car
- Turning left across the path of an approaching vehicle
- Driving through a crosswalk while pedestrians are crossing
Between these two types of crashes, intersection collisions often cause more serious injuries than road crashes. According to the National Safety Council, rear-end collisions are more common than angle collisions, but angle collisions are more likely to cause injury or death.
Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Fort Walton Beach
The Florida Traffic Safety Dashboard provides a crash map with its search results. In 2024, the city had crash clusters on the following roads and intersections:
- US-98/Miracle Strip Pkwy. at the base of the Brooks Bridge
- Beal Pkwy. between Girard Ave. and Holmes Blvd.
- Beal Pkwy. & Hollywood Blvd.
- Eglin Pkwy. & Hollywood Blvd.
- Brooks St. & Hood Ave.
- Memorial Pkwy. & Holmes Blvd.
- Eglin Pkwy. between Beach Dr. and Beachview Dr.
- Mary Ester Cut Off & Jonquil Ave.
- Racetrack Rd. between Beal Pkwy. and Denton Blvd.
Notably, these locations fall on many of the city’s major routes. Thus, you might not be able to avoid these hotspots as you drive around Fort Walton Beach.
Contact Our Fort Walton Beach, FL, Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Regardless of where a crash happens in Fort Walton Beach, FL, you may be entitled to pursue compensation for your serious injuries. Contact Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a Fort Walton Beach car accident lawyer to learn how we can help you fight for the compensation Florida law entitles you to seek.