Pensacola police were notified about the van after a Gulf County Sheriff’s Office captain got a tip from a confidential informant. The informant had heard that a relative had asked family members to pick up a van from a Gulf Breeze tow lot because he had hit a pedestrian while driving it and did not want any possible links between them and the van. The van was towed to the lot after the driver was arrested on an unrelated charge in Santa Rosa County two days after the pedestrian accident occurred. Pensacola police found the van had damage to its hood, windshield and front with tape on the shattered windshield.

Pensacola’s Assistant Police Chief said that hair samples found on the van were sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis. The hair samples were found on the tape and the windshield according to an affidavit and at the time the article was published, no arrests had been made in relation to the van or the hit-and-run pedestrian accident.

There were 8139 pedestrian accidents in Florida in 2007 that resulted in 530 people killed and 7529 injured. Pedestrian accident survivors often face a long path to recovery with lengthy and expensive rehabilitative care and sometimes many months of lost wages.

A strong advocate for victims of pedestrian accidents, Orlando pedestrian accident lawyer James O. Cunningham has helped many victims of pedestrian accidents since he began his personal injury law practice in 1977. He offers free consultations and works on a contingency-fee basis that means if he accepts your case, he charges no fees unless he makes a recovery on your behalf. Call the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham today to schedule your free consultation.

FHP officers investigating the pedestrian accident scene said that one victim was a 23-year-old Sarasota man and the other victim was believed to be around 19-years-old. His name and address had not been released when the article was published. Troopers said that a witness to the accident called 911, and emergency response personnel called the FHP. A FHP spokesperson said that the 18-year-old driver of the truck remained at the accident scene.

A FHP spokesperson said, “The law says when you’re walking along the roadway, you have to walk off the roadway. You can’t walk in the street. Number two, you’re supposed to walk against the flow of traffic. These individuals were walking in the roadway, with no street lighting. It’s a very dangerous situation to be in.”

The stretch of road where the victims were hit has a posted 60 mph speed limit. If the truck driver was going the speed limit, he would have been traveling at 87 feet per second.

Although the article suggests that the two victims were responsible for the dangerous position, hundreds more Floridians are injured and killed each year. Many are struck by motorists who are distracted by cell phones, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs or disobeying a traffic signal. No matter what negligent behavior distracts or impairs a driver’s ability to react and avoid striking a pedestrian, they can still be held responsible for their actions.

Orlando pedestrian accident attorney James Cunningham has helped the victims of pedestrian accidents and their families since 1977. In well over three decades of practicing personal injury law, Mr. Cunningham has helped countless pedestrian accident victims receive the financial compensation they deserve to help offset the steep costs of hospital care and rehabilitation. If you or a member of your family has been hurt in a pedestrian accident, call Florida pedestrian accident lawyer James Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation.