One Dead after Head-On Collision in Osceola County

A head-on collision along State Road 60 in south Osceola County this past Sunday resulted in the death of one individual and the hospitalization of another. The Florida Highway Patrol, speaking about the event, said that it occurred close to 10:20 in the evening, when an individual named Natasha Johnson Smith, a 27-year-old resident of Spring Hill, began attempting to pass drivers ahead of them on State Road 60.

According to the report, Smith, who was behind the wheel of a 2011 BMW, was initially traveling west in the westbound lane, but when they began attempting to pass other cars they moved out of the westbound lanes and into the eastbound one. At this time, Jacob Black, a 29-year-old out of Fort Pierce, was traveling eastbound in his 2015 Jeep. Behind him in the eastbound lanes was the 19-year-old Plant City resident, Peter Finucane-Terlop. Black saw Smith’s BMW in his lane and was able to swerve out of the road just in time to avoid being struck.

Finucane-Terlop, not able to see the car traveling the wrong direction due to the presence of Black’s Jeep, suddenly found himself facing down the oncoming BMW. The head-on collision happened seconds later as the Volkswagen Golf GTI driven by Finucane-Terlop and Smith’s BMW collided with one another’s left front.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol’s report, the emergency response teams that arrived shortly after the accident took place were not able to do anything for the badly injured Finucane-Terlop and he was declared dead at the scene of the crash. Smith, who received severe injuries as a result of the accident, was able to be extricated from their car and transported via ambulance to Osceola Regional Medical Center. It is not known whether or not their current condition is an improvement on their admitted status or if they are still in a life-threatening state.

Black, the driver of the Jeep, was not injured in the incident, although his car received some minor damage as a result of his evasive maneuvers off of the road.

Members of the Florida State Troopers have gone on record saying that there are charges pending against Smith. The report also included the information that all three of the drivers affected in the crash were wearing seatbelts.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.