One Dead, Three Injured in DUI Crash in Marion County

A severe drunk driver crash that took place in Marion County on Saturday, December 15th, resulted in the death of one person as well as the injury of three others. According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, the incident happened close to 9:30 at night, and involved two cars: a 1991 GMC Sierra and a 2006 Toyota Scion.

Around the time mentioned above, the 1991 GMC was driving down the southern lane of U.S. 441 when they approached Southeast 80 Street. At this intersection, a light controls the traffic coming from each of the streets, and when the GMC reached the intersection the light facing them was clearly red. According to the report, the driver of the GMC either failed to notice this fact or did not care, and they continued to drive at full speed through the intersection.

Simultaneously, the 46-year-old individual driving the Scion was also trying to drive through the intersection. Coming from Southeast 80 Street, this person did have the right of way at the time, and their light was clearly showing a green signal. Not expecting difficulties from the parallel traffic, the driver of the Scion was likely not aware of the oncoming GMC until the two cars collided.

The force of the collision caused the Sierra to overturn, coming to stop in the shoulder of U.S. 441. The Scion remained upright and ultimately came to a stop at the center of the grass median, but the massive impact did severely injure the driver.

Emergency vehicles were called to the scene by an unknown individual, and soon numerous EMTs and paramedics working within Marion County were offering medical assistance to the injured parties in both cars. Unfortunately, the injuries suffered by the driver of the Scion were beyond the scope of modern medical help, and this person was declared dead at the scene of the accident.

A 46-year-old passenger in the Scion, the 53-year-old driver of the Sierra, and his 47-year-old passenger were all rushed to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. While they are all expected to make a full recovery, it was revealed that both the driver and the passenger in the Sierra were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.

Sources:

• Alcohol-related Marion County crash leaves 1 dead, 3 injured, officials 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.