Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
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.
Sawhill was seriously injured in the wreck, and was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol in November 2020. He pleaded no contest in August to three counts of vehicular homicide.
In handing down the sentence, Citrus County Circuit Court Judge Richard Howard said, “The sheer devastation of what Mr. Sawhill did is incomprehensible.”
Prosecutors said Gomara was driving her mother and her aunt to her daughter’s house for Christmas Eve gatherings.
The Citrus County wrongful death lawyers at Whittel & Melton, LLC are dedicated to providing unsurpassed, thoughtful and aggressive representation for family members who suffer through the loss of a love one due to negligence of others. Our Citrus County law firm will offer compassionate legal counsel to family members, be it parents, children, spouses, dependent children, sisters and/or brothers in claims involving avoidable or preventable fatal incidents. Give us a call at 866-608-5529 or contact us online to speak with our dedicated legal team.