FHP troopers said the collision threw both riders from the motorcycle and they suffered critical injuries. The man driving the motorcycle was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he is listed in critical but stable condition. His female passenger was airlifted to Florida Hospital East, where she was pronounced dead from her injuries. The accident closed the westbound lanes of S.R. 520 for a few hours while FHP troopers investigated the accident, and charges are pending against the pickup driver.

It’s difficult to imagine that a driver could fail to notice the oscillating lights and loud siren of a police vehicle attempting to pull someone over, but that appears to be what happened in this tragic motorcycle accident. Troopers have not yet released details about the accident, but the driver of the truck could have been texting or talking on a cell phone, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, eating while driving, reaching for an object on the floor or otherwise failing to devote full attention to the safe operation of the vehicle. If officers determine that the truck driver was negligent, he or she may be liable for damages in a wrongful death and/or personal injury case.

If a negligent driver has injured you or a close family member and you want to speak with an Orlando personal injury lawyer to learn more about the law, your rights and your legal options, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000. He has been helping injured people throughout Florida since 1977 and has a reputation of working hard to help each client receive the maximum amount of damages. He assists clients from law offices conveniently located throughout Central Florida. Call today to get an experienced Orlando personal injury attorney on your side.

Until new tollbooths were designed and installed on Florida’s toll roads, trucking accidents such as this were much more common and likely to result in severe injuries or fatalities. The rising popularity of electronic transponders that debit a driver’s account instead of making each motorist stop and pay a toll is the biggest factor in reducing trucking and auto accidents. Before transponders, hundreds of tollbooth accidents in Orange County resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage to tollbooths and cars, as well as many injuries.

A review of traffic accident records in Orange County toll roads discovered a 37 percent drop in injuries from 2005 to 2008 as the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority replaced older tollbooths with newer models and open-road tolling lanes. The agency’s records indicate a 61 percent decline in tollbooth crashes over the same period.

The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority owned the truck that crashed into the 1997 Honda. The manager of the Expressway Authority said that attempting to drive one of their loaded trucks through the old tollbooths and back into traffic was a difficult endeavor.

“We’re really pleased with the new system. It really helps our drivers,” he said. “And I like them [the lanes], too.”

Research by the Expressway Authority on tollbooth accidents revealed more than 200 vehicle accidents each year in its tollbooths between 2001 and 2005. The tollbooth accidents reached their peak in 2003 when the Expressway Authority recorded 303 tollbooth crashes. That number dropped to 71 in 2007, but rose to 118 tollbooth auto accidents in 2008.

While Florida’s toll roads are safer, tollbooth auto accidents still occur and accidents involving compact cars and big rigs weighing many tens of thousands of pounds often results in death or life-changing injuries for the driver and occupants of the car. Orlando auto accident lawyer James O. Cunningham is a dedicated Central Florida personal injury attorney with more than three decades of experience helping people injured in auto accidents. If you or someone you care for has been injured in an auto accident, call the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation.