Car Accidents

March 22, 2023

News: Passenger dies after car slams into pole in Leesburg

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 21, 2023

News: Driver injured after crashing into Wesley Chapel restaurant

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a vehicle crashed into a restaurant in Pasco County Friday morning, WTSP reports.

The accident happened at Panera Bread at the Shoppes at Wiregrass on Willet Way in Wesley Chapel. According to the FHP, a man lost control of a Kia Rio while driving east on State Road 56 shortly before 7 a.m. The vehicle crossed the median into the westbound lanes, entered the Panera parking lot, struck a parked car and then slammed into the building.

The car caught fire but firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze and come to the driver’s aid. The driver, a 36-year-old Georgia man, was hospitalized with minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.

March 20, 2023

Do You Know if Your Child is in the Right Car Seat? | Florida Injury Lawyers Whittel & Melton

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Children grow very quickly, and as they get bigger, you may be wondering if they are in the correct car seat. It is very important for their safety to make sure you know that they are in the correct car seat, so that in the event of an unfortunate car accident they are protected as best as possible from impact.

Car Seat and Booster Seats Are Required by Florida Law

Under Florida law, children 5 and under must be secured in a crash-tested, federally approved car or booster seat.
From birth to age 3 children are required by state law to be in a car seat that is either a separate infant carrier or integrated car seat.
Children ages 4-5 are required to be in a federally-approved car seat or booster seat.
Deployed front seat airbags can be harmful to children, so until a child is 13 or older, it is recommended they ride in the back seat.

Car Seat Safety Facts

According to the NHTSA:

In 2017, the lives of 325 children under the age of 5 were saved by car seats
In 2020, 42% of children killed in car accidents were unrestrained
Almost half (46%) of car and booster seats are used incorrectly

Does Your Car or Booster Seat Fit Your Child?

As children grow, their car seat needs change. It is important to make sure that your child is in a car or booster seat that fits their size and age. In general, there are 3 types of car seats:

Rear-facing: These are best for newborns and young children and feature a harness. In the event of a crash, the seat cradles the child and moves with them to reduce any impact on a child’s neck and spinal cord.
Forward-facing: This seat features a harness and tether that helps restrict any forward movement in the event of a crash.
Booster seat: This seat raises a child up so that the car’s seat belt fits property over a child’s chest, chips, and body.

You should always make sure your child fits the parameters of a manufacturer’s height and weight limits for a car or booster seat. If you are still unsure, you can use the NHTSA’s car seat finder to help you select a seat that is best. These recommendations are all based on your child’s age and size.

Is Your Car Seat Installed Properly?

Once you have a proper-fitting car or booster seat for your child, you should make sure that it is installed into your vehicle correctly. The NHTSA has some great resources available to help show you proper car seat installation.

You can also have your car or booster seat checked for free by a certified safety technician in your community. They can make sure your car or booster seats are installed correctly and that you know how to use and install a car seat on your own for future. You can enter your zip code here and find a technician near you now.

Were You Injured in a Crash with Children in the Car? We Can Help. Continue reading

March 17, 2023

News: 3 drivers injured in multi-vehicle accident on West Highway 40 in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – Three people were injured in a multi-vehicle accident in Ocala early Wednesday morning, Ocala Fire Rescue said.

The rescue squad released a Facebook post with details of the incident that occurred at the 5500 block of West Highway 40.

Ocala Fire Rescue’s Engine 4, Rescue 1, Squad 7, Battalion Chief 11, and a Safety Officer were dispatched to the scene at about 6:12 a.m. They arrived to find three pickup trucks blocking several lanes of traffic – a GNC Sierra that rolled over and was upright, a Ford F-150 with heavy front end damage, and a modified Ford Ranger with a black cab that sustained heavy front and rear damage.

March 16, 2023

News: Crash injures 2, blocks lanes on US 441 in Alachua County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PAYNES PRAIRIE, FL – A car wreck left two people injured and slowed traffic in a portion of Alachua County on Tuesday, WCJB reported.

The Florida Highway Patrol said at least two vehicles were involved in the accident on U.S. Highway 441 near Southwest 104th Avenue in Paynes Prairie. There were no immediate details on the severity of the injuries.

State troopers shut down the northbound lanes on U.S. Highway 411 while the scene was being cleared, and detoured traffic away from the area until the lanes reopened.

March 15, 2023

News: Man pleads guilty in fatal car crash at Pinellas County home

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL – A man pleaded guilty last week in connection with a fatal crash in Pinellas County on Sept. 3, 2021, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

44-year-old Vaughn W. Mongan was arrested one month after the accident, which happened as he was driving a friend’s Tesla at about 10:15 p.m. Authorities said he accelerated on Manning Road, went through a stop sign, and drove off an embankment before crashing through a fence and plowing into a home on Caird Way in Palm Harbor.

One of the passengers, the owner of the Tesla, was killed in the crash while the three other passengers were seriously injured. A 69-year-old woman in the home and her dog also were killed. An investigation indicated that Mongan was driving at over 100 miles per hour prior to the wreck in a 30 mile per hour zone. Prosecutors said he was not intoxicated at the time.

March 14, 2023

News: Collision involving pickup, semi snarls traffic on I-75 in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – A collision on Interstate 75 in Marion County Monday morning slowed traffic for rush-hour commuters, WCJB reports.

The crash occurred on I-75 near mile marker 352 at about 6:45 a.m. It involved a Ford pickup truck and a semi-truck, and caused one person to be hospitalized with undisclosed injuries.

The wreck shut down all northbound lanes of I-75, resulting in major backups before the interstate reopened about three hours later.

March 10, 2023

News: Pickup truck driver killed in rear-end collision in Marion County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a pickup truck driver died following a collision in Marion County Tuesday night, reports WKMG.

The FHP’s crash report said the incident occurred on NE 203rd Avenue Road near County Road 316 at about 9 p.m. An investigation found that the pickup driver was traveling on NE 203rd Avenue Road when he failed to stop and struck the back of another vehicle.

The pickup driver, a 61-year-old Fort McCoy man, was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital. No other injuries were reported.

March 9, 2023

News: Driver crashes into building in Gainesville, injuring woman in lobby

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

GAINESVILLE, FL – Police said an elderly driver crashed their vehicle into a building in Gainesville on Monday afternoon.

WGFL reports the incident happened at Tire Outlet at 1320 North Main Street at about 2 p.m. Police said their investigation found that the driver had arrived for service at the business when his foot slid off the brake and the vehicle went into the building’s glass lobby.

A woman who was waiting in the lobby suffered cuts from the shattered glass as well as a neck injury, but her injuries were not said to be life-threatening. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.

March 8, 2023

News: Elderly driver dies in collision at State Road 35 intersection

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a collision at an intersection in Marion County Monday afternoon left an elderly woman dead, WKMG reports.

Two vehicles collided in the area of State Road 35 and Southeast 92nd Loop shortly after 1 p.m. The FHP determined that the driver of an SUV was going at high speed while headed west on Southeast 92nd Loop and went through the red light at the intersection. The SUV crashed into the side of a sedan that had a green light and was going south. The driver of the sedan, an 81-year-old woman from Summerfield, died at the scene.

The driver of the SUV, a 37-year-old Fruitland Park man, was hospitalized with minor injuries.