Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

November 17, 2022

News: Driver facing charges for fatal multi-vehicle crash in Leesburg

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LEESBURG, FL – A driver has been arrested for a fatal accident in Leesburg last week, reports the Leesburg News.

36-year-old Gustavo Martinez Cortez of Eustis was arrested on a third-degree felony charge of driving without a license.

The Nov. 7 crash involved a total of four vehicles, and occurred in the area of County Road 44 and North Silver Lake Road. Authorities said Cortez crashed into the back of a Toyota Corolla. The collision killed the driver of the Corolla, a 42-year-old man from Eustis. A semi-truck and a Mitsubishi Mirage were also involved in the wreck. The driver of the Mirage, a 23-year-old Deland woman, sustained minor injuries.

November 16, 2022

News: Bicyclist dies after being hit by car on NW 27th Ave in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – The Ocala Police Department said a bicyclist died after being hit by a vehicle Saturday evening.

Police posted details of the incident that took place near the 1400 block of Northwest 27th Avenue just north of Rural King just before 6:15 p.m. Witnesses said a bicyclist was laying down stationary in the southbound travel lane next to his bike.

One driver swerved to the left to avoid hitting him, but another vehicle right behind hit the bicycle rider. The victim, a 67-year-old man, was trauma-alerted to the hospital and was pronounced dead.

November 16, 2022

News: Man killed when motorcycle crashes into tree in Zellwood

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ZELLWOOD, FL – A man was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed in Orange County Saturday afternoon, state troopers said.

WKMG reports the victim was riding south on Round Lane Road near King Avenue in Zellwood when the incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the motorcyclist was unable to negotiate a right-hand curve, went off the roadway and crashed into a tree.

November 14, 2022

News: 2 dead in crash involving pickup and tow truck on Florida Turnpike

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ORANGE COUNTY, FL – A collision between two vehicles on the Florida Turnpike in Orange County early Thursday morning left two men dead, reports WKMG.

The incident happened in the turnpike’s southbound lanes near mile marker 266 in the area of State Road 408 at about 5:44 am.

The Florida Highway Patrol said an FHP marked patrol car responding to a crash and a tow truck were both parked in the inside shoulder with their emergency lights activated. The tow truck driver was standing outside the vehicle.

November 11, 2022

News: Rollover accident in Ocala sends both drivers to hospital

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – Rescue units were at the scene of a crash in Ocala Monday night that left two people injured.

In a Facebook post, Ocala Fire Rescue said its crews responded to E Fort King Street and NE 31st Avenue after reports of a vehicle fire just after 7 p.m.

Officials said a Toyota and a Nissan had been involved in an accident, with the Nissan rolling onto its side. Firefighters were able to stabilize the Nissan and removed the windshield to extricate the driver, who had been trapped inside. The driver was transported to the hospital for evaluation, while the Toyota driver was also hospitalized.

November 10, 2022

News: Man sentenced to life in prison in car crash near Inverness that killed 3 women

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

INVERNESS, FL – A man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday in connection with a car accident that killed three people in Citrus County.

The Citrus County Chronicle reports 56-year-old Philip Sawhill of Land O’Lakes was ordered to serve three concurrent life sentences for the crash that took place on Christmas Eve 2019.

It happened near the intersection of South Pleasant Grove Road and East Amy Lane near Inverness. Authorities said Sawhill was driving a Toyota Highlander and trying to pass five other northbound vehicles in a no-passing zone on South Pleasant Grove Road. His vehicle collided with a Kia Optima that was headed south. Three women in the Kia, 62-year-old Amalia Gomara of Dunnellon; 86-year-old Clara Adela Gorrin of Hialeah; and 85-year-old Nilda Cordovi of Pembroke Pines, were pronounced dead at the scene.

November 9, 2022

News: Collision at intersection in Ocala leaves 1 dead, 3 hospitalized

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – One person was killed and three others injured in a collision at an intersection in Ocala Saturday evening, reports Ocala-News.

Police responded to the scene in the vicinity of NW 27th Avenue and NW 10th Street at about 9:45 p.m. An investigation indicated that a Hyundai Elantra and a BMW 228i were stopped at the intersection after approaching from opposite directions.

When the traffic pattern changed, both vehicles began to move forward. The driver of a northbound Honda Pilot failed to stop, entered the intersection, hit the front of the Hyundai and then struck the BMW on the driver’s side.

November 8, 2022

News: Woman struck, killed by vehicles on SW Archer Road in Alachua County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a woman was killed in a pedestrian accident in Alachua County Friday morning.

According to WUFT, the incident took place on Southwest Archer Road near Southwest 63rd Boulevard at about 6:45 a.m. The FHP said the victim was walking across the eastbound lanes of the roadway against the light. A 51-year-old driver saw the woman, veered and slightly clipped her at a low speed.

The woman fell into traffic, where she was hit by a sedan driven by a 55-year-old woman who said she did not see the pedestrian. The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers stopped and waited for authorities to arrive.

November 7, 2022

News: Brooksville man dies following single-vehicle crash on CR-572

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL – State troopers said a single-vehicle accident in Hernando County early Thursday morning left a driver dead.

WFLA reports the crash occurred on CR-572 east of Crum Road at about 4:30 a.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a Brooksville man was driving a truck westbound when he was unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway.

The vehicle went off the road, hit a mailbox, went back across the roadway and collided with a tree. The 68-year-old driver was declared dead after being transported to an area hospital.

November 4, 2022

News: 79-year-old woman on bicycle struck, killed by van on Suncoast Trail

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – An elderly woman was killed in an accident while riding a bicycle in Pasco County Tuesday morning, state troopers said.

WFLA reports the 79-year-old victim was riding south on the Suncoast Trail when the crash took place shortly before 9:30 a.m.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the bicyclist did not stop for a posted stop sign on the trail and ended up in the path of a van that was about to merge right to westbound Ridge Road. The van and the bicycle collided and the bicycle rider, a New Port Richey resident, was declared dead after being transported to a hospital.