Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

November 1, 2023

News: Collision on State Road 121 in Alachua County kills 1, injures 1

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – Two vehicles were involved in a fatal collision in Alachua County on Saturday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to a WJXT report, the drivers of a 2000 Honda sedan and a 2015 Toyota sedan were going in opposite directions on State Road 121 in Gainesville at about 6:15 a.m. The vehicles collided just south of NW 177th Avenue.

The driver of the Honda, a 53-year-old woman, was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the Toyota, a 22-year-old man, was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital.

October 31, 2023

News: Suspected drunk driver arrested in fatal Spring Hill crash

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

SPRING HILL, FL – A suspected drunk driver has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash in Hernando County.

According to Pasco News Online, the suspect was identified as 38-year-old Reinier Casola Rodriguez of Tampa. The Florida Highway Patrol said he was driving a Ford F-150 northbound on Mariner Boulevard at a high rate of speed on Oct. 18 at about 7 p.m. When he failed to negotiate a curve near Quality Drive and entered the center median, a man riding in the front seat who was not wearing a seat belt fell out of the pickup truck.

The truck continued traveling to the west shoulder before hitting a utility box. The passenger, a 34-year-old man from West Palm Beach, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital. Two other men riding in the pickup, ages 47 and 29, suffered minor injuries.

October 30, 2023

News: 5 dead in head-on collision on SR-674 in Hillsborough County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

WIMAUMA, FL – A head-on collision between two pickup trucks in Hillsborough County Sunday morning left five people dead and another injured, reports WTSP.

The accident happened on State Road 674 near Balm Wimauma Road at about 7 a.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a Toyota Tacoma pickup was going west on the roadway as a Chevy Silverado was headed east. State troopers said the driver of the Tacoma, a 29-year-old man from Bowling Green, went into the eastbound lanes and struck the Silverado.

The driver of a third pickup, a Chevrolet S-10, attempted to avoid the collision but spun and went a ditch after hitting debris from the first crash.

October 27, 2023

News: 2 injured in accident at intersection in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – An accident in Ocala Tuesday morning sent two people to the hospital and affected traffic, police said.

According to the Ocala Police Department’s Facebook post, the crash occurred at the intersection of N. Pine Avenue and State Road 40. The two people taken to the hospital sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

All northbound lanes on Pine Avenue from State Road 200 to State Road 40 were blocked, and drivers were advised to seek alternate routes. All other lanes of traffic were open. No details were released on what led to the crash.

October 26, 2023

News: 1 dead, 4 injured after motorcycle and SUV collide in Hernando County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HUDSON, FL – One person was killed and four others injured in a collision in Hernando County on Saturday afternoon, according to a WFLA report.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Fort Dade Avenue and East Avenue. The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of a Dodge Journey SUV went through a stop sign at that location, and was struck by a motorcycle.

The driver of the motorcycle, a 53-year-old Hudson man, was declared dead after being taken to an area hospital. His passenger, a 40-year-old woman from Largo, was hospitalized with serious injuries.

October 25, 2023

News: Driver, 80, injured after crashing into home in Holiday

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol was at the scene of a car accident at a home in Pasco County last week, Pasco News Online reports.

The crash happened Thursday on Flora Avenue near Grand Boulevard in Holiday. The FHP said an 80-year-old man was driving a Ford Explorer eastbound when he failed to observe stopped traffic on the roadway. The driver then swerved to the shoulder to avoid colliding with other vehicles and drove across Grand Boulevard.

He hit a tree and crashed into a home located on Flora Avenue that was unoccupied at the time. The driver, a Tarpon Springs resident, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and was transported to an area hospital.

October 24, 2023

News: Citrus County woman killed in car crash on US 41

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS SPRINGS, Fla. – A single-vehicle crash claimed the life of a Citrus County woman last week, WTVT reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol released details of the incident, which happened Monday night on US 41 near Citrus Springs Boulevard. State troopers said the driver of a Jeep Patriot was traveling south on the roadway just before 11:45 p.m. when she lost control of the vehicle and veered onto the west shoulder. When the driver overcorrected, the vehicle went back across US 41 and onto the east shoulder, where it collided with a tree.

The driver, a 42-year-old Citrus Springs woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity was not immediately released.

October 23, 2023

News: Bicyclist fatally struck by Marion County Sheriff’s Office vehicle

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a man riding a bicycle was struck and killed early Wednesday morning by a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy’s vehicle, according to the Ocala Star-Banner.

The accident happened on State Road 200 just east of SW 80 Avenue just before 3:30 a.m.

The FHP said the bicyclist and the marked sheriff’s SUV were both going east on the roadway. The deputy did not see the bicyclist and struck the bike from behind. The rider, a 63-year-old Gainesville man, was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy stopped after the incident.

October 20, 2023

News: Driver sought in fatal pedestrian crash in Brooksville

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

BROOKSVILLE, FL – Authorities are searching for the driver responsible for the death of a pedestrian in Hernando County on Monday night, WTVT reports.

The incident occurred in the area of Jacqueline Road and West Mariner Boulevard at about 9:30 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said a man was pushing a shopping cart in the travel lane of West Mariner Boulevard when he was hit by an eastbound 2004 Ford F-150 pickup truck.

The victim, a 38-year-old man from New Port Richey, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver involved fled the scene after the incident, state troopers said, and later abandoned the pickup on Star Road.

October 19, 2023

News: Lady Lake man dies following rollover crash on Florida Turnpike

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – A single-vehicle accident in Lake County early Tuesday morning left the driver dead, reports the Villages-News.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the victim was a 26-year-old man from Lady Lake. State troopers said he was driving a 2012 Ford Escape on the Florida Turnpike at about 3:30 a.m. when he went off the right shoulder of the roadway near mile marker 286 in the vicinity of U.S. 27.

The vehicle overturned multiple times and the driver was ejected. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was not wearing his seat belt at the time, the FHP said.