Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

December 12, 2024

News: 1 dead, 2 injured in multi-vehicle collision on State Road 52

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly multi-vehicle accident that occurred in San Antonio, Pasco County on Sunday morning, WFLA reports.

According to the FHP, the driver of a Hyundai Tucson was making a turn at the intersection of State Road 52 and Old Tampa Bay Drive at about 10:30 a.m. The Tucson turned in front of a Harley Davidson motorcycle that was going east on State Road 52, and the bike collided with the vehicle. The Tucson was then re-directed into a semi-truck that had stopped at the intersection.

The motorcyclist, a 46-year-old San Antonio man, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital. The Tucson driver, an 81-year-old woman, and her passenger, an 87-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. Both are from San Antonio.

December 11, 2024

News: Man, 36, killed when ATV hits fence, overturns in Hernando County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL – An accident in Hernando County killed the driver of an all-terrain vehicle on Saturday morning, WFTS reports.

The crash happened in the 3300 block of Saturn Road, where a man was driving a Polaris side-by-side ATV at about 12:44 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said he lost control while going around a curve. The vehicle went off the roadway, struck a fence and overturned.

The driver, a 36-year-old man from Brooksville, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. Three passengers were not injured, the man’s 11-year-old daughter, his 36-year-old girlfriend, and her 10-year-old daughter.

December 10, 2024

News: Brooksville man, 73, dies after motorcycle rear-ends vehicle on US-301

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – A rear-end collision in Pasco County on Sunday afternoon claimed the life of a motorcyclist, Pasco News Online reports.

The incident took place in the 21000 block of US-301 in Dade City. The Florida Highway Patrol determined that the driver of a Cadillac Escalade had stopped to turn into a driveway at that location, and was struck from behind by a motorcycle going north on US-301.

The motorcycle rider, a 73-year-old man from Brooksville, was killed. The Escalade driver, a 56-year-old woman, was not injured in the collision, which remains under investigation by the FHP.

December 10, 2024

How to File a Boat Accident Damage Claim in Florida

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Florida is known as the boating capital of the U.S. There are many popular boating hubs in the Sunshine State, including Miami, Florida Keys, Stuart, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale, Crystal River, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Charlotte Harbor, and Tampa Bay.

Due to the high number of boaters in our state, it is no surprise that Florida also sees the highest number of boating injuries and fatalities in the U.S. Our Florida Boating Accident Lawyers at Whittel & Melton have seen all types of boat and watercraft accidents, including jet ski accidents, sail boat mishaps, ferry accidents, tourist boat incidents, yachting accidents, cruise ship injuries, and more. We have seen all types of serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord trauma, near-drowning injuries, and unfortunately death.

What Should You Do After a Boat Accident?

December 9, 2024

News: Man, woman killed when vehicles collide on County Road 315

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – Two people died after their vehicles collided last week in Marion County, First Coast News reported.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened Wednesday night along County Road 315. The FHP’s investigation indicated that the driver of a northbound van crossed over the center line near Northeast 222nd Lane at about 8:35 p.m. The van traveled into the southbound lane and entered the path of an SUV, resulting in a head-on collision.

The driver of the van, a 55-year-old man from Interlachen, and the driver of the SUV, a 38-year-old Fort McCoy woman, were both pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

December 6, 2024

News: Head-on collision on Williston Road in Alachua County kills both drivers

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – State troopers said a collision in Alachua County early Tuesday morning left both drivers dead, WCJB reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the scene on Williston Road near Wacahoota Road after the accident occurred at about 4:48 p.m.

The FHP learned that a 30-year-old Gainesville woman was driving south when her car veered into the northbound lanes and crashed into another car head-on

December 5, 2024

News: Crash on Interstate 75 in Marion County kills 1, injures 5

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly wreck that occurred north of Ocala in Marion County on Friday night, the Ocala StarBanner reports.

The FHP and first responders were called to the scene on Interstate 75 south of the exit for County Road 318 at about 5:50 p.m.

An investigation found that the driver of a Ford F-250 pickup truck lost control of the vehicle while heading south in the left lane of I-75. The pickup struck a guardrail and flipped over into the northbound lanes. The Ford then struck a Toyota Camry, and debris from the two vehicles hit a GMC Yukon SUV.

December 4, 2024

News: Suspect arrested in Belleview hit-and-run that killed pedestrian

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

BELLEVIEW, FL – A suspect is under arrest in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident that occurred in Belleview on Sunday afternoon, the Ocala StarBanner reports.

The Belleview Police Department said that Christian Patrick Parker was charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

Police said Parker was driving a 1998 Lincoln Town Car when he struck and killed 34-year-old Ariel Hartford on U.S. 441 south. An investigation determined that Parker allegedly went through a stop light and struck Hartford as she was attempting to cross the street at about 2:47 p.m. The driver kept going after the collision without stopping, according to police.

December 3, 2024

News: Spring Hill man, 45, killed when motorcycle collides with SUV

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

BROOKSVILLE, FL – A motorcyclist was killed in a collision with an SUV south of Brooksville on Thursday, according to a WTVT report.

The accident happened at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Ayers Road. The Florida Highway Patrol said the rider of a Honda motorcycle was heading west on Ayers Road at about 4:07 p.m. when the driver of a Chevrolet Equinox turned in front of him, and the vehicles crashed.

The motorcyclist, a 45-year-old man from Spring Hill, suffered fatal injuries. The driver of the Equinox, a 44-year-old man from Brooksville, was not injured.

December 2, 2024

News: Hurricane season ends after causing widespread damage in Florida

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season came to end on Saturday, but it left behind dozens of deaths and widespread damage across the state of Florida.

There were 18 named storms during the season that began June 1, including three that directly impacted Florida: Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. 63 people died as a result of those storms, and the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports they caused estimated losses of $5.3 billion, while bringing 314,000 insurance claims from homeowners and 16,000 by commercial property owners.

Following Hurricane Debby in early August, Hurricane Helene intensified rapidly before making landfall in Taylor County on the Florida coast Sept. 26 as a major Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 140 mp. It brought catastrophic flooding and widespread wind damage from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the southern Appalachians.