Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

February 16, 2024

News: 2 Spring Hill crossing guards struck by hit-and-run driver

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

SPRING HILL, FL – A driver suspected of hitting two Spring Hill crossing guards in a hit-and-run incident this week was taken into custody, according to a WFLA report.

The crossing guards were struck by a vehicle at Deltona Boulevard and Northcliffe Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon at about 4 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation found that the driver of a Ford Focus was struck by another vehicle and came to a stop. The driver of the Ford then continued going in the wrong direction toward the intersection and hit one of the crossing guards, an 82-year-old man, then struck the other guard, a 52-year-old man. The victims were seriously injured and rushed to an area hospital.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said the Focus was later located on Deltona Boulevard. The alleged driver, 54-year-old Robert Noack, had walked away from the vehicle but was apprehended and arrested, authorities said.

February 15, 2024

News: Brooksville employee killed in crash of sanitation truck on US-41

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

BROOKSVILLE, FL – An employee of the City of Brooksville Department of Public Works was killed when his sanitation truck crashed Monday morning, the Suncoast News reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the worker, Ed Johnson, was going south on US-41 at about 6:15 a.m. when he lost control of the truck and was unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway. The truck hit a guardrail south of Mondon Hill Road, went down an embankment and partially overturned. Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said he was not wearing a seat belt at the time.

Johnson had retired from the DPW after 15 years on the job but returned to work in April 2023 because he loved the job, city officials said.

February 14, 2024

News: Collision on State Road 56 in Pasco County leaves 2 dead, 4 injured

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL – A collision on State Road 56 in Pasco County on Saturday afternoon left two people dead and four others injured, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

The accident happened at the intersection of State Road 56 and Piazza Avenue in Wesley Chapel at about 3 p.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of an eastbound Nissan Altima made a left turn and entered the path of a Suzuki GSX-R600 motorcycle. The motorcyclist, a 30-year-old man from Tampa, struck the car and was pronounced dead at the scene. The FHP said he had been traveling at a high rate of speed prior to the wreck.

A passenger in the Nissan, a 36-year-old woman from Fitzgerald, Georgia, died after being transported to an area hospital. The driver of the Nissan, a 32-year-old woman from Wesley Chapel, and three adult passengers in her car sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

February 13, 2024

News: Woman killed when SUV slams into motorcycle in Tarpon Springs

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

TARPON SPRINGS, FL – An accident involving a motorcycle and an SUV in Tarpon Springs Friday night left one person dead and another injured, reports WFTS.

The incident took place on U.S. Highway 19 near the intersection of Sun Valley Boulevard and E. Klosterman Road.

According to police, a 30-year-old woman was driving a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox SUV when she struck a 2018 Suzuki motorcycle at about 7:50 p.m. A woman riding as a passenger on the motorcycle died at the scene. She was identified as 21-year-old Alina Faillios Chavez of Holiday. The driver of the bike, 20-year-old Jaden Jackson of Holiday, was seriously injured and taken to Bayonet Point Hospital.

February 12, 2024

News: Woman, 70, dies in head-on crash on County Road 314

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal collision that took place in Marion County last week, the Ocala StarBanner reported.

Two vehicles, a Toyota Corolla and a Mitsubishi Outlander SUV, were involved in the wreck on County Road 314 in Scrambletown on Feb. 2.

According to the FHP, the driver of the Toyota was going east sometime before 10 a.m. when she crossed over the double yellow line and veered into the westbound lane. The Toyota collided head-on with the westbound Mitsubishi.

February 9, 2024

News: Serious injuries reported in multi-vehicle accident in Hernando County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

RIDGE MANOR, FL – Hernando County Fire Rescue crews were at the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on Monday afternoon.

HCFR issued a traffic alert at 2;27 p.m., reporting that the accident had occurred at the intersection of Cortez Boulevard and Kettering Road in Ridge Manor. Serious injuries were reported, and one helicopter was requested for a trauma patient.

Drivers were advised to avoid the area while crews were responding to the wreck.

February 8, 2024

News: FHP searching for driver who struck teen on skateboard in Beacon Square

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – Authorities are searching for the driver who struck a teenager on a skateboard in Pasco County last week.

According to The Suncoast News, the accident happened Jan. 31 on Moog Road near Kingsbury Drive in Beacon Square. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 14-year-old boy was skateboarding with traffic along the north shoulder of the roadway at about 7:30 p.m. when he was hit by a sedan going west on Moog Road.

The driver fled the scene of the collision without stopping to help. The victim, a Holiday resident, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

February 7, 2024

News: Alleged drunk driver charged in fatal Citrus County accident

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a crash involving an alleged drunk driver left one person dead and another injured.

A report by WFLA states that the accident happened Sunday afternoon in Citrus County near the border with Marion County.

The FHP’s investigation determined that the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck was passing cars on the shoulder of North Carl G. Rose Parkway and then merged back into traffic, where the vehicle rear-ended a Honda Accord near East Spruce Drive. The impact sent the Honda across the roadway, causing it to hit a bridge rail at the Withlacoochee River and strike a second Ford F-150 pickup truck going north.

February 6, 2024

News: 3 dead after woman steals Marion County deputy’s vehicle and crashes

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – Three people were killed when a woman stole a Marion County Sheriff deputy’s vehicle last week and crashed, according to a WSVN report.

Authorities said 33-year-old Kendra Boone was able to get into the vehicle after deputies had responded to a shopping mall in Silver Springs on a report that a woman had tried to steal another person’s keys. Boone then sped away from the parking lot with deputies pursuing her at speeds that reached up to 100 miles per hour.

They attempted to deploy stop sticks but Boone continued on and eventually lost control of the vehicle on State Road 40. There she swerved into the opposite lanes of traffic and crashed into a pickup truck with three people inside.

February 5, 2024

News: 2 dead in Largo wreck after driver runs red light

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LARGO, FL – Police said a car crash involving a speeding driver in Pinellas County last month left two people dead.

A report by WTSP states the accident happened Jan. 28 at the intersection of East Bay Drive and Starkey Road in Largo.

An investigation indicated that the driver of a Mercedes Benz was traveling at high speed on East Bay Drive and went through a red light shortly before 5:30 a.m. The Mercedes collided with a Honda Civic headed south on Starkey Road.