Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

January 17, 2025

Let’s Lower the Number of Distracted Driving Accidents in 2025

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

In today’s fast-paced world, technology has become an essential component of our daily routine. Although there are many advantages to technology improvements, they have also led to an increase in incidences involving distracted driving. Distracted driving is a critical issue that jeopardizes road safety.

The bottom line is that cars today have more features than cars 20-30 years ago, which makes it much easier to become distracted behind the wheel. We are constantly getting text messages and have large screens in our cars where you can play satellite music or even “car play” where you can play music from your phone, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, the list goes on.

Distracted driving is often attributed to teen drivers, but that is not always the case. Our Florida Car Accident Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton have seen distracted driving accidents involving truck drivers, bus drivers, moms and dads in minivans and SUVs, grandmas/grandpas in sedans, and of course, teen drivers.

January 17, 2025

News: Car slams into back of school bus on SW 27th Avenue in Marion County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – A car and a school bus were involved in a collision in Marion County on Thursday, First Coast News reported.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the bus driver was heading south on SW 27th Avenue and put on the yellow flashing lights while slowing down to pick up a child. The driver of a southbound sedan did not slow down, and struck the rear of the bus.

No children were on board the bus, and no injuries were reported.

January 16, 2025

Driver of disabled vehicle struck and killed in hit-and-run on U.S. 27

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly hit-and-run incident that occurred Monday evening in Lake County.

A report by WKMG states that a 37-year-old Auburndale man was killed in the crash on US-27 at Margaux Drive shortly before 7 p.m. According to the FHP, the man’s vehicle had broken down and he was standing behind it, directing traffic to the next lane. A tow truck driver stopped partially in the outside lane and on the shoulder of the road to assist the man.

State troopers said that at that point, the driver of a Kia Soul was heading south on US-27 in the outside lane and failed to move over. The Kia then struck the 37-year-old pedestrian, causing him to hit the driver’s side mirror of the tow truck. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

January 15, 2025

News: Altoona woman dies in collision with dump truck on County Road 439

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – Authorities were called to a fatal crash involving a sedan and a dump truck in Lake County on Tuesday morning, WESH reported.

The accident happened at about 8:23 a.m. on County Road 439 near County Road 44A. The Florida Highway Patrol stated that the driver of a 1994 dump truck encountered stopped traffic while heading north. When the driver tried to brake, he veered into the southbound lane of CR-439 and collided head-on with a 2019 Toyota Corolla.

The Toyota driver, a 23-year-old Altoona woman, died after being rushed to AdventHealth Waterman Hospital. The dump truck driver, a 28-year-old Leesburg man, was not injured and stayed at the scene.

January 14, 2025

News: Woman killed, man injured when semi hits their car near U.S. Highway 301

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL – A collision between a car and a semi-truck in Hernando County left one person dead and another injured, WTSP reported.

The Florida Highway Patrol was called to the area of U.S. Highway 301 and State Route 50 after the crash occurred Sunday at about 1:49 p.m. The FHP’s investigation found that the driver of the car was heading east on State Route 50 and making a left turn at the intersection. The car entered the path of a westbound semi-truck and was hit by the truck.

An 86-year-old woman who was in the car was killed, while a 72-year-old man with her was hospitalized with serious injuries. The truck driver, a 66-year-old Iowa man, was not injured.

January 14, 2025

FDA Issues 4th Oyster Recall in 18 Days – Norovirus Cases Are On The Rise

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration issued its fourth bad oyster recall in three weeks involving various oysters harvested in Washington that may be contaminated with norovirus.

Here is What You Need to Know

The caution pertains to oysters gathered by Ruco’s Shellfish between December 2 and December 17 from a growing area in Washington’s Hammersley Inlet, approximately 80 miles southwest of Seattle.

January 13, 2025

News: Man dies after car crashes into sign, tree off northbound I-75

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – A car wreck in Alachua County on Thursday evening claimed the life of a motorist, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The crash occurred on Interstate 75 north at mile marker 399 north of Gainesville. The Florida Highway Patrol’s accident report said a driver headed north at about 5:30 p.m. drove his sedan off the roadway. The vehicle went through the grass shoulder and crashed into an information sign and a tree.

The driver, a 39-year-old man from High Springs, was pronounced dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved.

January 10, 2025

News: Multi-vehicle crash in Lake County kills 21-year-old Valrico man

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALTOONA, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a multi-vehicle collision in Lake County on Wednesday morning left one man dead and another injured.

A report by WKMG stated that the crash took place on County Road 42 just east of State Road 19 in Altoona. The FHP’s preliminary investigation found that the driver of a 2006 Chevy Cobalt was heading east at about 6:10 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway.

The Chevy then entered the westbound lanes of County Road 42 and collided head-on with a 2019 Subaru WRX. The driver of a 2018 Ford F-150 pickup truck tried to avoid the Subaru, but hit the back of the car.

January 9, 2025

Motorcycle Accident Injuries Are Often Worse Than Car Accident Injuries

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Bikers love getting out on the open road for daily commutes or just some fun, but the reality is that collisions involving motorcyclists often result in serious injuries or fatalities. Some of these injuries can be downright torture, including degloving injuries which is when a biker’s skin and tissue is ripped away from their tendons, muscles, and bones. These life-threatening injuries can lead to severe blood loss, tissue death, nerve damage, and in some cases, amputation.

As the number of registered motorcycles increases in Florida, so do the number of serious accidents that involve bikers. For 2025, Florida is anticipated to have 668,046 registered motorcyclists, which is the second-highest number of registered motorcycles of any state behind California. With just 9 days into the new year, Florida has seen 10 motorcycle accidents resulting in 10 injuries, according to FLHSMV’s Crash Dashboard. In 2024, there were 9,273 motorcycle accidents in Florida that resulted in 552 deaths and another 7,985 injuries.

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January 9, 2025

News: Spring Hill man dies in motorcycle collision on US-41 in Brooksville

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

BROOKSVILLE, FL – One person was killed and another injured in a collision in Hernando County between a motorcycle and a pickup truck.

The Florida Highway Patrol told Pasco News Online that the vehicles crashed Monday night on US-41 at the intersection with Powell Road in Brooksville.

The FHP reported that the driver of a Chevy Silverado was heading north when he tried to turn left onto Powell Road and collided with an oncoming southbound Suzuki motorcycle shortly after 7 p.m.