Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

April 1, 2025

News: Passenger killed, driver injured when pickup crashes into tree in Lake County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – State troopers said a single-vehicle accident in Lake County last week left one person dead and another injured, WKMG reported.

The wreck, which involved a Ford F-350 pickup truck, occurred March 24 in the area of Lake Erie Road and Bay Lake Road.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of the Ford was heading west on Lake Erie Road at about 5:21 p.m. and failed to maintain his lane while negotiating a left-hand curve. The pickup went off the roadway and collided with a tree.

March 31, 2025

News: Rollover accident in Lake County leaves 3 women dead, 1 injured

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating an accident in Lake County early Sunday morning that left three women dead and another injured, the Leesburg News reports.

The crash happened on State Road 19 near Howey-in-the-Hills at about 3:15 a.m. According to the FHP, the driver of a northbound 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee failed to negotiate a left curve and ran off the road at St. Florian Lane. The Jeep crashed into a pole and then overturned several times. All four occupants were ejected from the vehicle.

The driver, a 30-year-old Mount Dora woman, and a passenger died at the scene. Another passenger was pronounced dead after being taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. The passengers who died were two women from Eustis, ages 32 and 28. Another passenger, a 26-year-old Eustis woman, was hospitalized in critical condition.

March 28, 2025

News: Woman, 55, dies after being struck by 2 vehicles in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – A woman died after she was struck by two vehicles in Marion County early Thursday morning, according to the Ocala StarBanner.

The Florida Highway Patrol, Marion County Fire Rescue and Ocala Fire Rescue responded to the incident shortly before 5:30 a.m.

The FHP said the pedestrian was walking in the right southbound lane of South Pine Avenue in Ocala when she was struck near Southeast 39th Place by a Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle. The driver of a second vehicle, a Volkswagen Encore, swerved to avoid the Jeep and also hit the pedestrian, The victim, a 55-year-old Ocala woman, was pronounced dead at the scene.

March 27, 2025

News: Alleged drunk driver crashes into patrol car of Pasco County deputy

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – Authorities arrested an alleged drunk driver following a collision in Pasco County early Saturday morning, WFTS reported.

The accident happened on State Road 54 at Eiland Boulevard in Zephyrhills at about 3:43 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said two Pasco County Sheriff’s Office patrol cars were making a traffic stop at that location.

The vehicles were stopped with their emergency lights activated when one of them was rear-ended by another vehicle. The driver of the vehicle that struck the patrol car was charged with DUI and taken to the Pasco County Jail.

March 26, 2025

News: Driver sought in Marion County hit-and-run that injured pedestrian

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – A search is underway for the driver who struck and injured a pedestrian in Marion County on Monday, March 17.

According to the Ocala Star-Banner, the victim was walking on the shoulder of County Road 42 near Southeast 203rd Avenue in Umatilla when the incident happened at about 2:30 a.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the pedestrian was struck from behind by an unknown vehicle that veered off the road near Southeast 203rd Avenue. The victim, a 27-year-old Ocala man, suffered injuries that were serious but not life-threatening.

March 25, 2025

News: Collision on State Road 19 leaves man dead, 2 teens injured

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – A wrong-way driver was involved in a fatal collision on State Road 19 in Lake County Saturday night, reports WKMG.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 17-year-old boy was driving a 2020 Audi A3 southbound near Arrowtree Boulevard at about 11:40 p.m. The teen veered into the northbound lane and entered the path of a 2013 Ford Mustang, and the Audi crashed into the Ford. The impact caused the Ford to go off the road and hit a ditch.

The Ford driver, a 30-year-old man from Dunnellon, died at the scene. He was not believed to have been wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

March 24, 2025

News: New Port Richey man dies after collision of motorcycle and motorhome

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – A motorcycle and a motorhome were involved in a collision near an intersection in Pasco County on Thursday evening, Pasco News Online reported.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the operator of a Yamaha motorcycle was heading east on State Road 52 when he tried to make a right turn onto northbound U.S. 41. The rider, a 19-year-old New Port Richey man, lost control of the motorcycle and the bike overturned.

The motorcycle and the man slid into the northbound lanes of U.S. 41 and collided with the motorhome. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead after being taken to a an area hospital. The driver of the motorhome was not injured.

March 21, 2025

News: 2 injured in collision involving USPS tractor-trailer on I-75 near Micanopy

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MICANOPY, FL – A collision in Alachua County Wednesday morning left two people injured and disrupted traffic along Interstate 75, according to the Main Street Daily News.

The crash happened on southbound I-75 near the mile marker 374 exit ramp near Micanopy. The Florida Highway Patrol said a U.S. Postal Service tractor-trailer crashed into a Ford pickup truck.

The pickup was parked with no lights activated and was partially blocking the outside lane when the driver of the southbound tractor-trailer swerved to avoid it, but collided with the stopped vehicle. The tractor-trailer overturned as a result of the impact.

March 20, 2025

When is it Too Late to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit? Statute of Limitations Explained

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

When you are injured in an accident, the clock starts ticking on how long you must file a personal injury claim against they at-fault party. Your priority should be to make sure all your injuries are tended to by a doctor, but as soon as you are able, it is best to consult with a personal injury lawyer who can begin helping with your case right away. You do not want to have your case invalidated or dismissed because you were not aware of the time constraints placed on how long you must file.

When you are injured in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, your first concern is not usually how long you have to file a claim against that person to recover compensation for your damages. However, this is something that you need to keep in mind because you don’t have an endless amount of time to file a claim against the negligent party. There is a statute of limitations placed on how long you can file a lawsuit for damages.

Statutes of limitations are state laws that limit the amount of time that legal action can be taken after an accident occurs. Statutes of limitations are logically designed to help resolve legal issues in a fair amount of time.

March 20, 2025

News: Citrus County teacher killed in accident involving van and dump truck

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A two-vehicle crash claimed the life of a Citrus County school teacher last week, according to a WFTS report.

The collision, involving a dump truck and a minivan, happened March 12 on West Homosassa Trail. The Florida Highway Patrol stated that 50-year-old Crystal Jackson was driving her Dodge minivan eastbound shortly after 7 a.m. when the dump truck, traveling westbound, attempted to turn left and struck her vehicle.

Jackson, a social studies teacher at Lecanto Middle School, died in the wreck. Her three children who were with her in the car, two girls 15 and 16 and a 12-year-old boy, were taken to area hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening.