Car Accidents

July 22, 2025

News: 2 women injured, 1 critically, in collision on Hawthorne Road in Grove Park area

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a collision in Alachua County that sent two people to the hospital on Friday morning.

The Alachua Chronicle reports the two-vehicle wreck occurred on State Road 20 (Hawthorne Road) near SE 159th Street in the Grove Park area at about 7:45 a.m. State troopers said the driver of an SUV was heading east when the vehicle went off the roadway and onto the grassy shoulder, where it began to rotate. The SUV then went across both eastbound lanes, into the grass median and overturned before entering the westbound lanes, where it collided with a sedan.

The SUV driver, a 27-year-old woman from Ocala, was ejected from the vehicle and rushed to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the sedan, a 60-year-old Hawthorne woman, was seriously injured and was listed in stable condition at the hospital.

July 21, 2025

News: 1 dead, 2 injured in crash after driver goes through red light on SR-200

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA FL – A collision in Marion County on Thursday evening left one person dead and two others injured, the Ocala StarBanner reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol was called to the scene at the intersection of State Road 200 and Southwest 103rd Street Road in Ocala after the fatal crash occurred at about 7:24 p.m. The FHP’s initial investigation determined that the driver of a pickup truck was heading east in the right lane on SR-200 and failed to stop at a red light.

The pickup crashed into the passenger side of a sedan that was heading west in the left lane of SR-200 and trying to turn onto SW 103rd Street Road. A passenger in the sedan, a 70-year-old Ocala man, was pronounced dead after being taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital. The sedan driver, also a 70-year-old Ocala resident, was hospitalized in serious condition.

July 17, 2025

News: Driver killed when tree falls on Marsh Bend Trail in Wildwood

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

WILDWOOD, FL – The Wildwood Police Department responded to an accident that killed a driver on a local roadway on Thursday morning.

In a Facebook post, police said the fatal incident occurred on Marsh Bend Trail near McNeil Drive at about 10:10 a.m. A driver was headed south when their car was struck by what police said was a naturally falling tree.

The driver, the vehicle’s only occupant, died at the scene. The victim’s identity was not immediately released.

July 16, 2025

News: Woman charged with vehicular manslaughter for fatal accident in The Villages

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

THE VILLAGES, FL – An arrest has been made in connection with a fatal collision that occurred in The Villages on Dec. 13, 2024, according to a report by The Villages-News.

53-year-old Rhonda Michelle Gilbert of Ocklawaha has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in the crash on State Road 44 near the entrance to Lake Deaton Plaza. The Florida Highway Patrol said Gilbert was speeding in a 2024 Ford Fusion when she collided with a vehicle driven by 85-year-old Michael Frank DeMulling of New York, who was killed.

Crash data showed Gilbert had been traveling at 106 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone, and witnesses said she had been passing vehicles and making lane changes prior to the wreck. Gilbert was freed on bond following her arrest earlier this month. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 2.

July 15, 2025

News: Ocala man killed in wreck after driver goes through stop sign in Marion County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – A multi-vehicle wreck near Ocala in Marion Couty on Tuesday morning claimed the life of a passenger in one of the vehicles, according to WKMG.

The Florida Highway Patrol investigated the crash at the intersection of Marion Oaks Manor and Marion Oaks Boulevard. Troopers learned that the driver of a van traveling west on Marion Oaks Manor went through a stop sign at about 6:15 a.m. and collided with a van that was going through the intersection with the right of way. The second vehicle rotated and struck a car that was stopped for a stop sign nearby.

A rear passenger in the second van, a 28-year-old man from Ocala, suffered fatal injuries. Other occupants in the vehicles were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries.

July 11, 2025

News: Collision on SW Williston Road in Gainesville claims lives of 2 children

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

GAINESVILLE, FL – Police said a two-vehicle collision in Gainesville on Thursday morning claimed the lives of two children, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The fatal wreck occurred on SW Williston Road near the on-ramp to northbound Interstate 75 at 6:08 a.m. An investigation determined that the driver of a 2013 Nissan van was heading east on SW Williston Road while the driver of a 2019 Nissan Altima was traveling westbound. The vehicles collided in the intersection to enter the I-75 north on-ramp.

Two children riding in the Altima, a six-month old and a 22-month-old, were pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital. The driver of the Altima, a 28-year-old Gainesville woman, was hospitalized with serious injuries.

July 10, 2025

News: Vehicle accident causes road closures in area of Interstate 75 in Gainesville

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

GAINESVILLE, FL – Traffic was disrupted in Gainesville during Thursday morning’s commute following a vehicle crash in the area of Interstate 75, WCJB reports.

The incident occurred at about 6 a.m. and caused road closures in the area while authorities and emergency crews were responding. The I-75 north on-ramp at the exit for Williston Road was shut down, as was Southwest Williston Road west of Southwest 34th Street. Drivers were advised to seek alternate routes.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Gainesville Police Department were called to the scene. There was no immediate word on whether anyone was injured in the wreck.

July 9, 2025

News: 1 seriously injured in rollover accident at SR-26 and Quail Street in Melrose

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MELROSE, FL – Emergency crews came to the aid of a person trapped in the wreckage of a single-vehicle crash in Alachua County on Tuesday morning, according to the Alachua Chronicle.

The incident happened in the vicinity of State Road 26 and Quail Street in Melrose at about 10 a.m. Alachua County Fire Rescue and the Melrose Fire Department arrived to find a vehicle on its side with a person inside.

With the use of hydraulic rescue tools, the rescuers were able to remove the vehicle’s roof and extricate the occupant. The victim was taken to an area trauma center to be treated for serious injuries.

July 4, 2025

News: Woman killed in collision with cargo truck on State Road 52 in Pasco County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – A truck and an SUV were involved in a fatal collision in Pasco County on Wednesday afternoon, WFTS reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol was called to the scene on State Road 52 after the wreck took place shortly before 2 p.m. The FHP’s investigation determined that a woman was driving west in a Ford Explorer when she made a U-turn. The Ford crashed into an international cargo truck that was going east on SR-52. The two vehicles ended up on the outside shoulder of the road.

The Ford driver, a 37-year-old resident of Wesley Chapel, died after being taken to an area hospital. The truck driver, a 51-year-old man from Orlando, was hospitalized with minor injuries.

July 3, 2025

News: Child dead, man injured after car crashes into utility pole in Citrus County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A single-vehicle wreck in Citrus County on Monday evening claimed the life of a 1-year-old girl, according to a WFTS report.

The fatal crash occurred on North Croft Avenue south of East Ramsey Street in the Inverness Highlands North area just before 7 p.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 32-year-old man was driving a Chrysler 200 north on North Croft Avenue when he lost control of the car and drove off the road. The vehicle struck a utility pole, a tree and guide wires.