Fatal Leesburg Crash Between Pickup Truck and Pedestrian

It is no secret that Central Florida ranks poorly when it comes to collisions between cars and pedestrians. Each year, dozens of people on foot are struck by vehicles and either severely injured or killed. On Monday, August 30^th, yet another such incident occurred, adding still more data to solidify Central Florida’s poor pedestrian safety ranking.

It was sometime around 10:00 at night when a 54-year-old individual was walking along U.S. Highway 27 within the City of Leesburg. It is not clear if this road possesses a sidewalk for increased pedestrian safety or if the pedestrian was instead walking along the shoulder of the road. What we do know is that at a certain point the pedestrian decided to attempt to cross the road.

The pedestrian’s decision came at the same time that an 18-year-old was driving a 2005 Chevrolet pickup truck down U.S. 27. It is not clear if the driver of the truck was aware of the pedestrian’s proximity or presence. What we do know is that it was as the driver was approaching the intersection of U.S. 27 and Griffin Road that the pedestrian was walking across U.S. 27, directly in the path of the Chevrolet.

The authorities who responded to the incident and are now in charge of the following investigation did not indicate whether the area features a crosswalk or any such pedestrian features. A call for witnesses of the incident has gone out, but it is not currently clear if anyone has responded to this call.

Unable to avoid the pedestrian for reasons that remain unclear, the 18-year-old struck them with their pickup truck. The force of this impact caused the pedestrian to suffer from severe injuries, even as the driver of the pickup truck escaped the incident without any clear physical injuries.

Emergency response crews were called to the scene and rushed to tend to the badly injured pedestrian. When the EMTs and paramedics arrived, they rushed the pedestrian to UF Health, a hospital located within the city of Leesburg itself. There, the 54-year-old was treated by doctors at the medical facility. Unfortunately, there was nothing that the medical staff could do to prevent the person from dying as a result of the injuries they sustained.

At the time of this writing, attempts are being made by the Leesburg Police Department to locate and identify the family of the deceased.

Sources:

• 54-year-old pedestrian killed in Leesburg crash

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.