West Pasco County, and specifically New Port Richey, is home to some of the most dangerous intersections in the entire United States. The number of pedestrians killed along the U.S. 19 is so mind-staggering, that MSNBC did a story on it, declaring that “US-19 is at the top of our list of dangerous roads.” The MSNBC story focused in large part on the U.S. 19 corridor in New Port Richey.
My law office is located just a few blocks east of U.S. 19, in the center of Downtown New Port Richey at Main Street and Grand Blvd. I drive U.S. 19 almost daily. Apart from having represented injured persons for 18 years now, I have a unique perspective of the dangers of these roads due to the fact that from 1983 – 1989 I worked as a professional Pasco County Paramedic – Firefighter. Unfortunately, Pasco County suffers from the same problem as much of the Tampa Bay area: Poor urban planning. In many ways, modern Florida is still a victim of the real estate boom that preceded the Great Depression. The land rush was on, and with nearly a total absence of proper planning or land use codes, the resulting roadway is what we have today. While overpasses have improved travel and pedestrian safety in much of Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Pasco County has not been so fortunate. Unfortunately, given the shrinking of Florida’s budget, it does not appear that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has any immediate plans to fix many of the public safety problems associated with U.S. 19 in West Pasco County.
Apart from the highly disproportionate number of pedestrian fatalities, U.S. 19 also experiences an extraordinary number of rear end collisions. With it’s stop and start traffic, intersections in Holiday, New Port Richey, Port Richey, and Hudson are the site of frequent automobile accidents. While U.S. 19 may be the site of most Pasco County automobile accidents, it has historically been Central and East Pasco County that has experienced some of the most worst accidents. Roads such as U.S. 41, and S.R. 54 in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, and Wesley Chapel have been the site of many tragic high impact accidents involving fatalities. Additionally, S.R. 52, a main corridor connecting Pasco County from west to east, has also been the site of many horrible automobile accidents and fatalities.
If you have been injured as a pedestrian or as a result of a traffic accident on any Pasco County road or highway, I am available for a free consultation. Although my office is in Downtown New Port Richey, for your convenience I have conference room space available to meet in Central and East Pasco County as well. Apart from West Pasco County, I have represented many people over the years whom have been injured in automobile accidents in Dade City, Wesley Chapel, Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, and virtually every other town or municipality in-between. Call 727-848-8892 today for your free consultation!
