Investigation Continues Into Florida I-75 Pileup That Killed Ten
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation of multiple crashes that killed ten people and injured at least 18 on I-75 near Gainesville, FL over the weekend. Drivers encountered an area of extremely low visibility, and a string of collisions occurred. The scene of the disaster stretches one mile long with wreckage everywhere. Fog and smoke from a brushfire at nearby Paynes Prairie made it so difficult for drivers to see that they crashed into the vehicles in front of them one after the other. Witnesses have reported hearing repeated crashes of the vehicles, crying and screaming. One survivor said, “It was happening on both sides of the road, so there was nowhere to go. It blew my mind.” Several passenger cars as well as tractor-trailers were involved in the pileup.
Florida Officials Plan Overhaul of Notoriously Hazardous Intersection
A notoriously dangerous intersection on County Road 46-A that has been the scene of at least 60 auto accidents in the last three years is going to be reconfigured, according to Seminole County officials. The intersection of Hartwell Avenue and County Road 46-A in Sanford is near two schools and hundreds of homes and apartments and has been a major concern for area residents for years. One nearby resident, Sonja Reddick, hears and sees accidents at the intersection on a regular basis.
“I’ve witnessed a whole bunch. I can sit in my house and hear, ‘Crash!’ I know what happened,” she said recently after learning about the planned overhaul.
Orange County Auto Accidents Down, But Numbers Remain Among Highest in Florida Counties
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles compiles auto accident data from across the state and charts trends from these data on an ongoing basis. The most recent accident data on the DHSMV site is from 2009 and shows a drop in the crash rate for Orange County. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham and other Central Florida auto accident lawyers welcomed the news but caution that the accident rate in Orange County is still dangerously high. From a statistical standpoint, Orange County is the fourth-most dangerous county in the state for auto accidents, behind Miami-Dade, Broward and Hillsborough Counties.
Alcohol Suspected as Contributing Factor in Orlando Auto Accident
Accident investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol suspect that alcohol was a contributing factor in a recent early morning Orlando auto accident that claimed the life of a local man. Investigators say that the victim was a 27-year-old Orlando man who crashed and overturned his vehicle on North Powers Drive near Balboa Drive. Accident reconstruction specialists say the man was driving on the wrong side of the road and nearly hit a church van when his car jumped the curb and struck a telephone pole, which fell on top of the car. The victim’s car came to rest on its top in the middle of North Powers Drive, and the victim was pronounced dead from his injuries at the scene. The driver of the church van had to veer sharply to avoid being struck head-on by the oncoming car.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a vehicle accident, call at (386) 243-4994.
Verdicts & Settlements
- Rear End Car Accident:
$3.75 Million Recovery - Semi-Truck Accident:
$1.5 Million Recovery - Van Rollover:
$1.2 Million Wrongful Death Recovery - Rear End Bus Accident:
$775,000.00 Recovery - Truck Collides with Cow:
$500,000.00 Recovery