The Jan. 29 collisions north of Clermont involving cars and tractor-trailers were early in the morning on a smoke- and fog-blanketed section of the six-lane highway.
]]> The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said troopers made mistakes, but committed no crimes when they reopened the highway to traffic despite the pockets of thick fog and smoke from a nearby brush fire. Within a half-hour after a Highway Patrol lieutenant overruled a sergeant and ordered the highway opened, s series of fatal crashes began.In addition to the 11 deaths, 18 others were hospitalized in the wrecks involving six 18-wheelers, a motorhome and at least a dozen cars, pick-up trucks and a van.
Investigators also faulted FHP for having failed to create guidelines for when to close and open highways in these situations.
They also noted that troopers didn't communicate well amongst themselves leading up to the January tragedy, nor did they consult weather specialists in the process of making their decisions.
After the decision was made to reopen the I-75, the five troopers in the area quickly dispersed rather than monitoring the highway. Two troopers went to get something to eat, another left for his other job, one parked his cruiser and worked on a report and a fifth went to patrol U.S. 441, which had also been closed due to poor visibility.
The Florida legislature recently allocated several million dollars for visibility evaluation gear that could help prevent future disasters.
Source: Associated Press: "Report: Florida troopers erred before Jan. crashes," April 29, 2012
]]>Those injured in the bizarre car accident ran the gamut of age, all the way from just three months old to 86 years, according to officials.
]]> The customer ran to the front of the Palm Coast store. There he saw two women pinned against a display stand by the car; its tires still spinning. An 83-year-old man was trapped beneath the vehicle and other customers were lying on the floor, bleeding."It was the most horrific sound that anyone would ever make," the 54-year-old customer said. "I was in total disbelief."
A store employee got bystanders to help lift the car off of the injured older man, who was soon airlifted to a nearby hospital.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the man's condition was "serious."
The others suffered injuries not considered life-threatening, an official told the Orlando Sentinel.
The early afternoon incident occurred, witnesses said, when a 76-year-old woman rammed a stop sign and then smashed through the store's glass doors. The Toyota plowed 30 feet inside the store, through an express checkout lane, before coming to a stop against a potato chip display stand where the two women were pinned.
The driver opened her car door and emerged unharmed from her vehicle, the customer who spoke with the Sentinel said.
FHP investigators are looking into the cause of the crash.
A county official said it appeared that the woman came to the stop sign and hit the gas pedal instead of her brakes.
Source: Orlando Sentinel: "Publix horror: 10 injured after vehicle smashes into Palm Coast store," April 14, 2012
Today, the teen's mom mourns her first-born son who died at the age of 15.
]]> On his sixteenth birthday, she sang "Happy Birthday" to him at his grave.The Winter Park High School student was killed as he pedaled his bicycle to play basketball with friends. Like so many teen boys, he harbored dreams of one day playing pro basketball.
That dream ended on New Year's Day, 2008, when a man driving a Dodge Neon at nearly twice the speed limit lost control of his car as he was racing another vehicle, according to witnesses.
The Neon had been outfitted with a number of high-performance features, including racing tires, roll-bar, enhanced muffler and a special steering system.
The man driving the car walked away from the crash.
"My son left in a body bag," the teenager's mother said.
The 26-year-old driver was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison. When he's released, he'll still have a long life ahead of him.
The mother of the bicyclist says her life has been emptied of joy since her son died.
Her boy was accompanied that day by her sister's son, who remains traumatized by the violence he witnessed. The young man, now 19 years old, won't ride a bicycle and he is afraid to drive a car.
He has to be driven to his college classes.
His mother says, "I am dead inside. (That driver) killed me and my whole family."
Source: Orlando Sentinel: "Orange man gets 10 years in fatal street racing crash," Amy Pavuk, April 13, 2012
]]>You might remember these numbers: 8,684 (the number of hit-and-run crashes across the region last year) 24 (the daily average in 2011) and 724 (the monthly average).
]]> The Florida Highway Patrol says so many drivers are fleeing the scenes of accidents in which people might be hurt or even dying because some drivers are drunk or high and others are wanted by the police or don't have auto insurance or a valid driver's license.FHP is then left to try to find out who did the hitting and running; a process that can often take months. Even when officers find the vehicle, it can be difficult to prove who was driving it at the time of the accident.
The registered vehicle owner is only required by law to provide information about the car, not about who was driving it at the time of an accident.
"The registered owner of the car many times will not cooperate," a FHP spokesperson said. "If we can't prove who was driving the car, we can't charge the owner with anything."
Most hit-and-runs are minor, leaving the driver's vehicle functioning. In some cases, however, there are major injuries to people that don't incapacitate a vehicle. Think of pedestrian accidents, and crashes involving bicyclists, or simply accidents at low speeds.
When the responsible party is found, they can face criminal penalties and sometimes civil penalties imposed on them by courts. In those cases, the accident injury victims take the responsible party to court and get compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other damages.
Source: news-journalonline.com: "Hit-and-runs on rise in Central Florida," Lyda Longa, April 2, 2012
]]>In the seven-page report, FHP investigators state that the accident was caused by an inattentive school bus driver. Investigators didn't give any details about what distracted the driver before he pulled the bus in front of an 18-wheeler about 130 miles southeast of Clermont.
]]> The March 26 Fort Pierce crash sent more than a dozen students to the hospital and resulted in the death of a nine-year-old who was riding with his seatbelt on.The weather was clear that day on Florida's east coast and the road was dry, the police report states of the 3:45 p.m. crash.
The bus was heading east and the big rig was going west when the school bus driver turned his vehicle left, directly into the path of the oncoming tractor trailer. Though the truck driver attempted to avoid the collision by swerving to his right, his rig rammed the right side of the school bus, spinning it 180 degrees around. The large truck overturned, leaving it with its wheels in the air.
Media reports said at least three students and the bus driver were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The truck driver was not injured in the crash.
There was apparently no evidence of alcohol use by the bus driver. An FHP spokesperson said charges are pending, but offered no details.
Source: WPTV: "Florida Highway Patrol releases Frances K. Sweet Magnet School bus crash report," April 5, 2012
]]>The number of car accidents in which the responsible party flees the scene is actually higher, the officer said, because those 20 to 25 per day reflect only the number involving the Highway Patrol. Other agencies across the region handle hit-and-runs that never involve FHP.
]]> Just four years ago, there were about half as many hit-and-runs each day: from 10 to 14, FHP officials said. They're not sure why there has been such a dramatic increase in such a short time in this type of illegal behavior.Last month, the Florida Highway Patrol dealt with 547 hit-and-run accidents here in Central Florida. Last year, there were 8,684 hit-and-run crashes across the region: an average of nearly 24 each and every day of 2011 and an average of 724 per month.
Even worse, the FHP officer said, was the rise in fatal hit-and-run accidents. In the seven-county area, there were 18 fatal hit-and-runs last year, up from 13 in 2010.
Why do the drivers flee the scene of an accident in which someone might lie injured or dying? FHP says it's because many of the drivers involved in these kinds of severe accidents are intoxicated, have no insurance or valid driver's license, or are wanted by law enforcement agencies.
We'll have more on the rise of hit-and-run accidents in Central Florida in our next blog post.
Source: news-journalonline.com: "Hit-and-runs on rise in Central Florida," Lyda Longa, April 2, 2012
]]>The accident occurred just after 3 a.m. when the woman, 29, called 911 to report that her car had left the roadway and struck a guardrail and ended up in a traffic lane. As the woman was on the phone with the dispatcher, she was struck by a tractor trailer. The 911 dispatcher heard the crash as she was hit.
]]> The dispatcher reported that the woman was giving him details of the accident and said that her cars lights were not working after the accident.A medical evacuation helicopter was dispatched to the scene and took the woman to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.
Police are investigating the initial cause of the crash and are putting details together with the help of the truck driver to determine the chain of events. The truck driver, 48, was not injured in the crash.
This type of accident brings to light how fast an accident can happen. If you've been injured in an accident because of someone else's negligence, you should contact a personal injury attorney. They understand the physical, emotional and financial strains of dealing with the aftermath of an accident. An experienced attorney can be your advocate and help you figure out your options and provide you with an approach that fits your situation and benefits you the most.
Source: Jacksonville.com, "Florida woman reporting her one-car wreck killed when hit by tractor-trailer as she stood in road," Terry Dickson, April 3, 2012
]]>Now Bush is accused of inflicting damage on someone else, however. The Florida Highway Patrol says a drunken Bush driving his SUV was in a motorcycle accident a few days ago. The accident left the motorcyclist with serious injuries, according to reports.
]]> Bush ran his sports utility vehicle into the back of the motorcycle about 130 miles south of Clermont, authorities said.Bush then drove off, leaving the 72-year-old motorcyclist with a brain hemorrhage, broken ribs and broken bones in his back.
A witness to the collision said, "Literally the tire on the SUV ran over the driver's head. Without the helmet, the gentleman would have been dead instantly."
According to police investigators who found Bush still driving a short while later, he told them he has a longtime alcohol problem and that he had no memory of seeing or hitting a motorcycle.
Bush signed a $3.15 million deal after being drafted No. 1 by the San Diego Padres, but his problems began almost immediately. He was suspended in his first summer in pro ball for getting into a fight in an Arizona nightclub.
Three years ago, he pleaded guilty to assaulting a high school lacrosse player. While he was being sentenced, he told the judge he was in alcohol rehabilitation treatment.
"When I drink alcohol, I become another person which I do not like," he said in court.
It appears his struggles aren't over by any means.
He still has his health and youth, however, as opposed to the man he allegedly ran over.
Source: tbo.com: "Rays minor-leaguer accused of DUI, hit-and-run; motorcyclist hurt," March 22, 2012
]]>Motorists cannot simply drive off, hoping that others will take of the injured.
]]> According to a recent article in the Orlando Sentinel, a young Florida man recently learned about this aspect of the law when a Broward County jury deliberated less than half an hour to find him guilty of leaving the scene of an accident in which a woman was killed on an interstate highway.The 24-year-old grocery store stock clerk reportedly confessed that his 2001 Dodge minivan struck the 62-year-old woman back in November of 2010. The woman apparently suffered from dementia and was walking on the highway, trying to pick up reflectors.
The man contended he knew he'd been in an accident, but didn't know he'd hit the woman.
The man's defense lawyers argued that the woman was hit by two or more other vehicles, including an 18-wheeler. They said no one could be sure who was responsible for her fatal injuries.
Prosecutors successfully made the case that the man should have stopped at the scene of the accident and that he knew, or should have known, that the collision involved an injury or death.
The law requires everyone in a serious accident such as this to halt their vehicle and provide identifying information.
In cases similar to this one, it's clear that the motorist must stop and take responsibility for their actions. In some instances, they might have criminal penalties and civil damages to deal with as a result of the accident.
Source: Orlando Sentinel: "McGowan found guilty of leaving scene of fatal accident," Paula McMahon, March 23, 2012
]]>A South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper investigation uncovers startling statistics on speeding cops over the past eight years. In one year alone, nearly 800 Florida police officers from a dozen agencies drove between 90 and 130 miles per hour on the state's highways.
]]> The reporter who dug into the statistics said she was surprised by how routine speeding can be for cops. "We had police officers here traveling well over 100 miles (per) hour and oftentimes just back and forth to work," she said.One 23-year-old man and his family found out just how dangerous that speed can be.
He was sitting in a Honda Civic stopped at a red light near Orlando when a speeding cop going over 100 mph lost control of his vehicle and rear-ended the man's car. The impact was so violent, the Honda was knocked forward 250 feet.
The man's injuries were devastating: he's paralyzed, "brain dead" and will need 24-hour care for the rest of his life.
The 2008 accident has shaken the young man's family to its core. "For the longest (time), I was just hoping it was a bad dream or one day that my son would just wake up out of it. But it had gone on so long now that it has really turned into a nightmare for the family," said the man's father.
The officer on that call wasn't racing to stop a crime or to help someone in an emergency. In fact, he didn't even have on his police siren or lights.
His punishment for the accident? He lost his job (though he can still work as an officer elsewhere) and gave up his driver's license for three months.
The family received a $2 million settlement from the state of Florida. The young man's dad says that amount will cover about four years' worth of the around-the-clock care his son requires.
It has already been more than three years since the crash that forever changed the lives of his son and family.
Source: CBS News: "Extreme police speeding investigated in Florida," Mark Strassman, March 20, 2012
]]>Law enforcement officials have reported several more fatalities, including one in which a Massachusetts woman, 77, has been charged with DUI manslaughter after she crashed into one motorcycle and ran two others off of a road in northern Volusia County.
]]> The woman's car veered into oncoming southbound traffic on State Road A1A at about nine last Saturday night. She hit a motorcycle carrying a North Carolina man, 64; he died from the injuries he sustained in the wreck.The two men he was riding with, 64 and 63 years old, were treated at a nearby hospital for injuries not considered to be life-threatening.
Later that night, another motorcyclist, this one on U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, was headed north when an SUV pulled directly into his path in order to make a left turn. The motorcyclist struck the side of the vehicle driven by a 78-year-old man from Ormond Beach.
The motorcyclist died at Halifax Health Medical Center of his injuries.
The SUV driver left the scene of the accident and drove to his home. He was later arrested there for leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury.
Officials say there have been eight Bike Week-related deaths this year.
There were, of course, many more crashes that did not involve deaths. Authorities said they responded to calls regarding 10 motorcycle-related accidents on Saturday alone.
As we see over and over, so many times these crashes involve automobile drivers who are simply not looking carefully before proceeding or who are not obeying traffic laws.
Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal: "Woman, 77, charged in motorcyclist's death as toll rises to 8," Julie Murphy, March 19, 2012
]]>The Tavares girl was riding in her mother's car at the time of the three-vehicle crash at the intersection of County Road 437 and State Road 44 in Lake County.
]]> Law enforcement officials said it's possible the girl had unbuckled herself from the seat belt that held her to a booster seat.A Florida Highway Patrol report indicated the mother had buckled the girl in before the vehicle moved.
FHP also indicated that the driver of the vehicle that apparently caused the crash might have been impaired by drugs or prescription medication. Officials are waiting for a blood test to determine if the 39-year-old was impaired or intoxicated.
Though police officers found a large amount of alcohol in his vehicle, they said it appeared none of it had been opened and that the man was delivering it to a business.
He was driving south on County Road 437 at about nine yesterday morning when his Audi veered into the southbound lane. His car slammed into the left side of a Jeep driven by a 60-year-old Apopka man, causing the Jeep to overturn.
The Audi then struck a PT Cruiser driven by the little girl's 36-year-old mother.
The mother was flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of injuries deemed serious. She was listed in stable condition later yesterday.
The 60-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
FHP is working to determine the exact cause of the tragedy.
Source: Orlando Sentinel: "3-year-old killed, 2 hospitalized in 3-vehicle crash in Lake," Ludmilla Ellis, March 13, 2012
]]>Unfortunately, the first couple days of the gathering were marred by two fatal motorcycle accidents.
]]> An Orlando firefighter was killed over the weekend, and his wife critically injured, when a 16-year-old driver of a 1999 Mustang making an improper left turn pulled her vehicle directly into their path on Colonial Drive in East Orange County.The Orlando couple's motorcycle slammed into the side of the Mustang.
The firefighter, 52, and his wife, 53, were on his 2002 Harley, and a friend of theirs was riding along on his Harley. The friend managed to avoid colliding with the car by laying his bike down on the highway.
They were riding westbound on Colonial Drive when the teen tried to make a left-hand turn onto Chuluota Road, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson said.
The firefighter was pronounced dead at the site of the 9 a.m. crash.
His wife was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she was reportedly in critical condition with unspecified injuries.
The other motorcyclist was taken to the same medical facility, where he was in serious condition.
The young driver was uninjured in the crash. Charges are apparently pending against her.
In an unrelated crash, a 61-year-old man was killed when he lost control of his bike in a curve.
And two days before the start of Bike Week, a 51-year-old woman visiting from Las Vegas was killed when her husband's Harley was rear-ended by a Lincoln Navigator SUV in Port Orange.
Let's hope the rest of Bike Week is a safe event for everyone involved and that drivers of cars, trucks and SUVs keep their eyes on the road.
Source: nsbnews.net: "Daytona Beach's Bike Week 2012 road fatalities stretch out to Pierson and Orlando," Henry Frederick, March 12, 2012
]]>Unfortunately, sometimes drivers of cars and trucks don't slow down until they've been in a car- or truck accident.
]]> Early Tuesday morning, fog rolled over parts of U.S. 27 and vehicles began slamming into each other. Sadly, a man on a motorcycle lost his life when a tractor-trailer crashed into him.The southbound big rig crossed over the median, right into oncoming northbound traffic. A 47-year-old Frostproof motorcyclist was killed, according to Polk County law enforcement officials.
The 68-year-old driver of the Volvo refrigerated semi wasn't injured.
His tractor-trailer also hit a Ford Expedition. The SUV driver was critically injured in that crash. The 52-year-old was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. His two passengers were treated at a nearby medical facility for their injuries and released.
A Chrysler minivan was also hit by the 18-wheeler (the 54-year-old van driver was treated and released from a medical facility), as was a Toyota RAV-4. The 68-year-old man driving the Toyota, and his 60-year-old passenger, were not injured in the wreck.
A man told a local newspaper that the fog was so bad that he couldn't see beyond the hood of his Ford Taurus. He ran into the back of another car.
"I slammed on my brakes," he said. "But there was nothing I could do."
All together, there were nine vehicles and 12 people involved in the chain reaction of collisions.
Perhaps the most important things to learn from this tragedy are the words of a police officer on the scene of the accidents: "When you have a foggy condition, especially at this time of year -- and there's lots of patchy fog -- you have to be exceptionally cautious when you are driving."
Source: The Ledger: "One Killed in Lake Wales Crash on U.S. 27," March 6, 2012
]]>The Polk County woman was killed in May 2010 after her vehicle was struck head-on by a car forced into oncoming traffic by a man consumed with road rage, according to a jury.
]]> A 48-year-old man was convicted recently of vehicular homicide in the case, as well as leaving the scene of an accident involving death and reckless driving with serious injuries.The family of the young mother filed wrongful death lawsuits against not only the man convicted, but also against the other driver.
Here's what prosecutors say happened: the 48-year-old was headed north on U.S. 98 when a man driving a red pick-up pulled out from Polk State College onto the highway in front of the 48-year-old. The 48-year-old then "swerved into (the other man's) lane, he cut him off and forced him into the median."
The five women and one man on the jury agreed with prosecutors.
However, defense attorneys for the 48-year-old argued that the other man had sped up to catch their client and lost control of his red truck at a traffic signal, swerving into oncoming traffic, and smashing into the woman's car and killing her.
"He jerked his wheel...that's what happened," a defense attorney argued in court.
The wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the red truck is pending. The insurance company that covered the 48-year-old settled with the woman's family before a lawsuit was filed.
It might be that both men ultimately share the blame for the woman's death and her son's injuries.
Source: The Ledger: "Richard Waters Found Guilty in Fatal U.S. 98 Road Rage Crash," Suzie Schottelkotte, Feb. 27, 2012
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