Articles Posted in DUI Car Accidents

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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.

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CITRUS COUNTY, FL – Authorities said a motorcyclist was killed in a crash involving a suspected drunk driver in Citrus County on Sunday, WTVT reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the incident occurred in Floral City on Old Floral City Road near Evergreen Loop.  According to the FHP, the driver of a Dodge Caravan was headed south at about 4:38 p.m. when he crossed over the center line and struck a northbound Suzuki motorcycle.

The operator of the motorcycle, a 45-year-old man from Inverness, was pronounced dead at the scene.  The Dodge driver, identified as 27-year-old Tristen Alexander Melichar, was allegedly impaired at the time of the accident. He was arrested on a charge of DUI manslaughter and was taken to the Citrus County Jail.  Melichar was not injured in the crash.

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PORT RICHEY, FL – Police in Port Richey said a driver who may have been impaired was injured in a car wreck last week.

In a Facebook post, police said officers were called to the scene Dec. 1 at the intersection of US 19 and Grand Boulevard at about 1 a.m.

A preliminary investigation indicated a 24-year-old man was driving south on US 19 at high speed and lost control while trying to pass vehicles that had stopped at a red light.  The vehicle struck a curb near a gas station and crashed into a concrete pole, causing the vehicle to spin and roll over.

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SPRING HILL, FL – Three people were injured in a crash involving an alleged drunk driver in Hernando County on Monday, reports the Suncoast News. 

The Florida Highway Patrol released information on the accident that happened at the intersection of U.S. 19 and Breakwater Boulevard in Spring Hill.

According to the FHP, 72-year-old James Victor Cocchi of Spring Hill was driving a pickup truck north on U.S. 19 at 5:21 p.m. when he made a left turn at a traffic signal that was red.  The vehicle crashed into the left side of a marked Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pickup truck headed south on U.S. 19.  Both vehicles came to rest in the intersection.

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ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – Authorities said a driver was arrested in connection with an accident in Alachua County on Saturday morning, the Gainesville Sun reports.

The incident happened along Interstate 75 southbound near mile marker 403 at 8:40 a.m.  The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of a semi-truck with a trailer carrying frozen food went off the roadway, onto the left median shoulder and through a guardrail.

The truck overturned and the trailer ended up in the northbound lanes of I-75.  It was struck there by a box truck.

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OCALA, FL – Police say an alleged drunk driver was arrested after crashing into a dentist’s office in Ocala early Monday morning.

The Ocala Police Department released details of the incident in a Facebook post. Officers responded to Healthy Smiles Dentistry on SW 10th Street at about 12:30 a.m. after a Chevy Equinox first struck a vehicle in the roadway and then slammed into the building.  No one was injured.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as 23-year-old Gabriel Hausy, was spotted fleeing from the officers on foot.  After a brief pursuit, Hausy was detained.

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Facing a DUI charge can be frightening. This may be your first run in with the law, and facing the criminal justice can be a terrifying experience because you have never done so before.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on Halloween night during the years 2015-2019, 126 people were killed in DUI accidents. Moreover, drunk drivers operating vehicles with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% or higher are responsible for 38% of deaths on Halloween night.

Dont-Let-a-DUI-Haunt-You-This-Halloween-200x300With so many fatalities resulting from drivers operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs on Halloween night, it is much more common nowadays to see local police setting up more DUI checkpoints to scout any drunk drivers.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a recommendation for all new cars in the U.S. to have blood alcohol detection systems that can stop a drunk person who gets behind the wheel from driving.

If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) chooses to see this through, then the U.S. could see a reduced number of alcohol-related car crashes, which is one of the leading causes of deaths in the country.

The NHTSA said that highway deaths in the U.S. are at crisis level, as nearly 43,000 people were killed last year, resulting in the largest death toll in 16 years.

Early numbers from the first half of 2022 show another rise in fatalities, but from April to June the numbers fell, a trend that authorities hope continues.

If these new blood alcohol detection systems are implemented, then we could see them in new vehicles in as early as three years from now.

Florida-DUI-Accident-Injury-Lawyers-Whittel-Melton-200x300While the NTSB has been pushing the NHTSA to implement this new technology and develop a standard so that more lives can be saved, the agency, along with 16 automakers have been co-funding research on the topic since 2008.

The team, named “Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety,” has hired a Swedish company to make further strides in testing a driver’s breath using a sensor (not breathing into a tube) and preventing the car from moving if the driver is found to be impaired.

Another company is working on light technology that would test for a driver’s blood alcohol through their finger.

Estimates show that breath technology advancements could be ready by the end of 2024, and touch technology is slated for 2025/2026. Once the technology is ready, the it will likely take automakers 1-2 years to start adding it into new models.

Even when the technology is ready, it will take years for the estimated 280 million vehicles on U.S. roads to be equipped with these devices.

2020 has the most recent figures available for traffic deaths, and according to the NHTSA, 11,654 people died in DUI-related crashes that year. These numbers roughly reflect a 30% increase in all U.S. traffic deaths, and a 14% increase compared to numbers from 2019.

You can follow all the rules of the road when it comes to driving and do everything in your power to protect yourself and your passengers, but an irresponsible drunk driver can change your life in a matter of seconds. Whether you were on your way to pick up your kids, coming home from dinner, or just out running errands, a drunk driver’s actions can leave you with mounting medical bills, missed time from work, and even the grief and anguish of having a loved one taken from you unexpectedly.

Why Do I Need a Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer? Continue reading

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CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A driver involved in a crash in Citrus County was arrested after authorities said he drove while impaired.

According to the Citrus County Chronicle, 29-year-old Aaron Michael Walnum of Homosassa was taken into custody and booked into county jail on a misdemeanor charge of DUI involving property damage.

The accident happened July 17 at the intersection of West Norvell Bryant Highway and Pine Ridge Boulevard.  The Florida Highway Patrol said Walnum’s car struck the back of another vehicle, causing a collision that involved two additional vehicles.

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WILDWOOD, FL – Authorities have arrested an alleged drunk driver following an accident in Sumter County last week that left one person dead and three others injured, WKMG reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol said 40-year-old John Andrew Henderson of Kissimmee was driving a sedan south in the inside lane on Interstate 75 in Wildwood Wednesday at about 2:44 a.m. when he entered the center lane and struck a trailer that was being towed by a pickup truck. The impact caused the pickup to go over a guardrail and overturn.

The pickup truck driver, a 32-year-old man from Spring Hill, Tennessee, was pronounced dead at the scene. His three passengers, a 32-year-old man, a 31-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, were hospitalized with serious injuries. All are from Spring Hill. Henderson was not injured.

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