Investigators say the school bus driver was traveling westbound in the left lane of Old Winter Garden Road at the intersection with Good Homes Road when he pulled into the intersection while the traffic signal was red. At that moment, the 52-year-old driver of a Kia passenger car was headed southbound in the left turn lane of Good Homes Road and entered the intersection on a green light. As he entered the intersection, his car was struck on the driver’s side by the school bus. The accident sent both drivers to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. The driver of the bus is listed in serious condition, and the driver of the Kia is listed in critical condition after emergency responders had to use hydraulic equipment to extricate him from the wreckage of his car. The Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation is ongoing, but a spokesperson said they expect to file charges against the school bus driver.

Fortunately, there were no schoolchildren aboard the bus when the accident occurred. However, Orlando auto accident attorney James O. Cunningham remains very concerned about the critically injured driver of the Kia. A small car weighing less than three thousand pounds is no match for a school bus weighing tens of thousands, and if FHP troopers determine that the school bus driver was negligent, he can be liable for damages.

It’s no secret that the Orlando metropolitan area is one of the most dangerous in the state for auto accidents, but people injured by negligent drivers do have a strong advocate in their corner. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has been helping injured people since 1977 and has a proven record of success helping them receive the compensation they deserve. If you or someone in your family has been injured in an accident and you want to speak with an attorney, call Mr. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation.

The victim’s mother has urged law enforcement authorities to investigate the pedestrian accident, but the lack of publicity in the case has made her uncertain whether or not the police were looking for the driver who struck the young man and fled from the scene. She went public recently with her dissatisfaction about the lack of cooperation and communication in the case.

“They left my son laying face down in a ditch for 45 minutes,” she said this week. “That 45 minutes could have saved my son’s life…My 10-year-old son wants to know why this happened to his brother. I want to have some kind of closure on this—why my baby had to be taken from me. I have not seen anybody since the day they came to my house and told me my son was hit.”

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office were the first to respond to the pedestrian accident, but turned the case over to the Florida Highway Patrol. After the mother made repeated inquiries about the case, Sgt. Kim Montes located the case in the department’s computer system.

“As to why the PIO wasn’t notified, I don’t know,” Montes said after finding the incident report. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to those two investigators yet. Per our policy, they’re supposed to send me a press release on any fatality.”

The computer system shows that the FHP received the call at 8:40 p.m. that evening and arrived on the scene at 9:24 p.m., the victim was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition at about 8:52 p.m. and the parent was notified about the accident around 10:08 p.m. that night. The driver of the vehicle that struck the teen and fled from the scene was identified as a 29-year-old woman also from Okahumpka.

Pedestrian accidents claim over 100 lives each year in Florida, and thousands more suffer severe injuries that require long and expensive stays in the hospital. Expensive medical care and other accident-related expenses cause terrible financial hardship for victims and their families. Orlando pedestrian accident attorney James O. Cunningham has been helping victims and their families receive the compensation they deserve to help with expenses since 1977. If you or someone you care for has been hurt or killed in a pedestrian accident, call the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation.