Altamonte Springs Resident Arrested for Fatal October DUI Accident

Police within Altamonte Springs just recently arrested an individual in connection with a fatal automotive accident that took place in October of 2019. The reports from the Altamonte Springs Police Department indicated that it was on October 5th when a 75-year-old woman and her friend traveled to a local Carrabba’s for food and drinks. The two stayed at the restaurant for an unknown period of time while they consumed numerous appetizers and alcoholic beverages. When they left the building, it was nighttime.

The two climbed into the car being driven by the 75-year-old who offered to drive the other individual back to their home. When they reached the Sun Ridge condominiums where the passenger lived, the driver stopped the car to let the passenger leave the vehicle. According to the 75-year-old’s report, the passenger began to leave and enter the vehicle numerous times, although it is not clear what exactly this means or why they were doing so.

At a certain point during this scene, the driver of the car said that they were leaving and began to drive away. Surveillance video taken from the scene then shows that the passenger left the car, walked towards the car’s rear end, and then fell over. Around 30 seconds or so transpired after the individual fell before the car began to reverse.

The rear tires ran over the prone individual, and the car stopped. The driver exited the vehicle, looked at the front tires, and then got back in the car. They then continued to reverse, running over the now badly injured pedestrian a second time.

When witnesses called 9-1-1, paramedics and other emergency teams rushed to the area. Unfortunately, the injuries that the person had suffered when they were run over two separate times were too much for the emergency medical personnel to fix. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is believed that the 75-year-old was quickly apprehended and spoke willingly to the police. They told authorities that they had been drinking, but that they did not believe they were too intoxicated to drive. They also told authorities that they believed they had struck a median.

The 75-year-old was arrested on Wednesday, February 26th, and charged with DUI and Vehicular Manslaughter.

Sources:

• ‘I just killed my friend:’ Woman didn’t realize she hit man after drinking tequila, police say

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.