Lake County

March 22, 2023

News: Passenger dies after car slams into pole in Leesburg

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LEESBURG, FL – A car accident in Lake County Monday morning left one person dead and two others hospitalized, Inside Lake reports.

According to police, a man was driving a 2012 Hyundai in the area of U.S. Highway 441 and U.S. Highway 27 when the crash happened at about 12:45 a.m. Investigators determined that the man was driving north on Highway 27 when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a power pole.

The driver, 40-year-old Enock Sulfa, and his passengers, 64-year-old Larousse Telfort and 66-year-old Maria Seraphin-Telfort, were taken to UF Health Leesburg. Seraphin-Telfort was pronounced dead. All three occupants of the vehicle were Ocala residents.

March 20, 2023

News: Motorcyclist, 72, killed in crash with car in Lake County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – State troopers said a car and a motorcycle were involved in a fatal collision in Lake County last week.

According to WESH, the vehicles collided on County Road 42 Thursday afternoon at about 1:50 p.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 72-year-old Daytona Beach man was riding a motorcycle when he partially entered the lane of a Hyundai Veloster. The vehicles collided, and the impact caused the Veloster to go off the road and crash into trees.

February 28, 2023

News: Man fleeing police involved in fatal collision in Lake County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

FRUITLAND PARK, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a driver trying to elude police died in a wreck in Lake County Saturday afternoon.

According to WKMG, Lady Lake police officers had initiated a chase of the man but lost sight of him due to how fast and recklessly he was driving.

When the driver reached US 441 in Fruitland Park, his vehicle crashed into an SUV. The fleeing driver, a 35-year-old Orlando man, died at the scene. The driver of the SUV, a 43-year-old woman, was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital. Two girls who were her passengers, ages 14 and 13, sustained minor injuries.

February 14, 2023

News: Man, woman dead following Lake County car wreck

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – A single-vehicle accident in Lake County over the weekend left two people dead, according to WKMG.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 24-year-old woman was driving a Chevrolet Malibu north on County Road in the Umatilla area when the crash occurred. According to the FHP, the woman lost control of the car and drove onto a shoulder of the road, where the vehicle hit a drainage ditch and overturned. The Malibu then went airborne and overturned before ending up a wooded area.

The driver was ejected from the vehicle while her passenger, a 45-year-old man, was trapped in the car. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

January 30, 2023

News: Motorcycle and SUV involved in fatal collision on US 27

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – A man died after his motorcycle was involved in a collision with an SUV in Lake County Wednesday afternoon, according to WKMG.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the vehicles crashed on U.S. Highway 27 at Green Cove Boulevard at 2:47 p.m. The FHP said a woman was driving an SUV south on U.S. 27 when she tried to make a left turn onto Green Cove Boulevard. The SUV entered the path of the northbound motorcyclist and struck the bike.

The motorcycle rider, a 51-year-old man from Clermont, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital. The driver of the SUV, a 51-year-old Clermont woman, was not injured and stayed at the scene.

January 20, 2023

News: Driver killed when pickup slams into fence, bridge support on State Road 46

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol released details of a fatal pickup truck accident that occurred in Lake County Sunday night.

WKMG reports a man was driving a pickup east on State Road 46 near State Road 453 when the incident took place at about 7:35 p.m.

The FHP said the driver lost control and the vehicle crashed into a fence, then kept going and struck a bridge support along the roadway. The driver, a 23-year-old man from Oviedo, was pronounced dead at the scene.

December 14, 2022

News: 1 dead, 3 hospitalized following Lake County ATV accident

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal accident in Lake County involving an all-terrain vehicle.

A report by WKMG states that the crash took place Sunday morning off Duda Road near Orlando North Airpark at about 4:30 a.m.

The FHP said an ATV traveling a wooded area crashed, overturned and ended up in a ditch filled with water. A 23-year-old Astatula woman was thrown from the vehicle and became trapped. She was pronounced dead after being transported to an area hospital.

November 24, 2022

News: Man from the Villages, 73, killed in Lake County car wreck

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said one person was killed and another injured Saturday afternoon in a collision on State Road 44 in Lake County.

According to WKMG, state troopers said the driver of a Honda CR-V was going south near Rory Lane shortly before 2 p.m. and tried to make a U-turn from the southbound lane. As the Honda made the turn, the vehicle was struck on the side by a southbound Chevrolet Tahoe that had been traveling behind it.

The driver of the Honda, a 73-year-old man from The Villages, was pronounced dead after being rushed to an area hospital.

November 21, 2022

News: 14-year-old fatally struck by vehicles while crossing Lake County street

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run incident that killed a teenager in Lake County Thursday morning, reports WOFL.

State troopers said it happened in the area of County Road 455 near Willow Pines Lane, where a 14-year-old boy was waiting for a school bus at about 6:30 a.m. When the teen reportedly walked in front of a car, he was hit by the vehicle. The boy was thrown into a southbound lane of County Road 455, where he was struck by a pickup truck. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car that initially hit the teen left the scene but the car was located later. The FHP was reported to be speaking with the vehicle’s owner and is trying to find out who was driving at the time of the accident.

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.