Two Critical Injuries After Two Vehicles Collided on Northwest 8th Street in Miami
According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, a major accident involving two vehicles was reported on Monday, May 7th. The crash occurred when a man who was driving a Chrysler minivan eastbound on Northwest 8th Street collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle headed in the opposite direction while trying to pass a tractor-trailer. The crash occurred around noon on Northwest 8th Street in Miami. MDP says that EMS arrived at the scene of the accident to administer first-aid to the victims involved in the crash. According to the MDP, both persons involved in the accident were critically injured. No further details were released to the public.
FLORIDA’S EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION PROGRAM
Have you ever thought about whether law enforcement would know who to contact in the event of an emergency? Did you know that Florida has an Emergency Contact Information (ECI) Program that allows you to register your contact information with the state so that law enforcement can contact your loved ones for you if you are involved in an accident? ECI is a secure system that only law enforcement nationwide can access in order to contact your designated family or friends in response to an emergency situation. The ECI system was first developed in Florida because there was no emergency contact program in place to quickly notify loved ones in the event of an emergency.
Why was the ECI System Developed?
The ECI initiative was started by a Florida woman named Christine Olson whose daughter Tiffany was involved in a fatal car accident in 2005. Olson’s daughter Christine received fatal injuries as a passenger on a motorcycle that collided with another vehicle. Due to a lack of information or a database, Olson was not notified for over 6 hours of her daughter’s condition. After this tragic event, Olson sought to promote change in the face of tragedy and address this issue and enlisted the help of state representative Bill Galvano and together began pushing for a law that would facilitate emergency contact information to be available to law enforcement in the event of an accident or emergency. Since the information could not be printed directly on a driver’s license, Ms. Olson and Rep. Galvano presented the idea to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and were able to push to have the emergency contact information included on the D.A.V.I.D. database which stands for “Driver And Vehicle Information Database” system which is a secure database used by police officers across the State of Florida. ECI allows law enforcement to contact designated family or friends in an emergency situation. The system is securely maintained by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and can be accessed by law enforcement only in the event of an emergency. Floridians with a valid driver license or ID card may enter up to two emergency contacts. Residents can register or update their ECI free of charge at flhsmv.gov/eci and in local driver license offices statewide.
Who will Have Access to Your Personal Information?
If you register your emergency contact information (ECI) into the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles system, only law enforcement will have access to your emergency contact Information, and it will not be used for any other purpose. This information is only used to notify the contacts that you designate in the event of an emergency.
How do You Register with the Florida ECI System?
The current process to register for the Florida Emergency Contact Information system requires you to visit the ECI page on the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website. You’ll need to enter your Florida Driver License or ID number and your date of birth. While the process only takes a few minutes to complete, there are still millions of licensed drivers who are not registered in this system. While renewing your registration or license is a requirement in every state in order to maintain legal driver privileges and motor vehicle operation, the registration for the ECI system will remain optional. The Florida Emergency Contact Information (ECI) system will allow you to input your emergency contact information online or when applying for a driver’s license, If you already have a Florida driver’s license or an identification card, all you need to do is to go to https://www6.hsmv.state.fl.us/dlcheck/findcustomer, input your license or id card number and your date of birth, and continue to input your two emergency contacts.
How Successful Has the ECI System Been?
To date, the Florida ECI system has received over 600,000 pings requesting emergency contact information. It would seem it has helped more than a few families and crash victims in emergency
situations over the years. In 2008, Florida Governor Christ declared October 2nd to the 8th as “To Inform Families First” week. In 2009, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University named the Florida ECI system one of the top 50 best government innovation programs. Several other states have adopted an ECI system and several more are in the process of establishing one. One of Christine Olson’s goals is to have an ECI system implemented in every state.
At Suarez & Montero Car Accident Lawyers, we strongly believe that public education is the first step in the prevention of an accident or in the recovery from one. We want to extend our appreciation and praise to Ms. Olson and the Florida Legislature for putting time and effort into creating this important system. We urge all licensed drivers in the state of Florida to register their emergency contact information with the program so that your relatives and friends can be contacted immediately after a serious injury or accident. That way if you are in a serious accident and are not able to call your family yourself, the police can do it for you. Register today with Florida’s Emergency Contact Information (ECI) system. It’s free, quick and easy! Over 10 million people have already securely registered their contact information with the state.
At the Law Offices of Suarez & Montero Car Accident Attorneys, you are never just another file or claim to us—you are part of our family and your well-being are just as important to us as if you were our own family. Our skillful attorneys are genuinely committed to our clients. We will fight to make sure that you get the maximum amount of compensation owed to you. Let us review your case and discuss your legal options. Our attorneys are ready to provide proven legal representation in pursuing your claim and stand ready to protect your rights. We are available 24/7 to give you a free, no risk case consultation.
