Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

November 8, 2023

News: 2 teenage boys killed in rollover accident near Leesburg

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

LAKE COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a rollover accident near Leesburg Monday night left two teenagers dead.

WKMG reported details of the wreck, which took place in the area of Goose Prairie Road and Felkins Road. State troopers said a 17-year-old boy was driving a Jeep Wrangler east on Goose Prairie Road at about 7:52 p.m. when he entered the westbound lane of the roadway to pass a pickup truck.

When another westbound vehicle approached, the Jeep driver re-entered the eastbound lane and hit the front of the pickup. The Jeep then went onto the eastbound shoulder and the driver over-corrected, causing the vehicle to go across both lanes of the road and end up on the westbound shoulder. The Jeep overturned several times and collided with a wire fence.

November 7, 2023

News: Woman dies after car goes off road on I-75 north in Alachua County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – A motorist died following a car accident in Alachua County early Sunday morning, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The incident happened on Interstate 75 at mile marker 394 at about 12:10 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation found a driver going north on the interstate went off the roadway for an unknown reason and crashed.

The driver, a 34-year-old woman from Fort White, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was in the car at the time, and no other vehicles were involved.

November 6, 2023

News: Motorcycle and pickup involved in fatal collision in SW Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – A motorcycle and a pickup truck were involved in a fatal collision in southwest Ocala on the morning of Oct. 28, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The Ocala News reported details of the incident, which occurred in the area of SW 60th Avenue and SW 66th Street.

State troopers said a motorcyclist was going south on SW 60th Street and was approaching the intersection at about 10 a.m. At about the same time, the driver of the pickup truck entered the intersection and started to make a left turn. The front of the motorcycle hit the right front passenger side of the pickup, with the truck ending up on SW 66th Street while the bike came to rest in the intersection.

November 3, 2023

News: Ocala man killed when SUV crashes into trees off County Road 234

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol and local first responders were called to the scene of a fatal car accident in Alachua County Tuesday night, according to the Main Street Daily News.

The crash occurred at the intersection of County Road 234 and County Road 2082 at 11:45 p.m. The FHP’s investigation found that a 31-year-old man was driving an SUV eastbound on CR-234 when he failed to stop at the intersection.

The vehicle crashed into two large trees and caught fire, and the driver was thrown from the SUV. The driver, an Ocala resident, was pronounced dead at the scene by Alachua County Fire Rescue.

November 2, 2023

News: New Port Richey woman fatally struck by hit-and-run driver on Shamrock Drive

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident that took place in Pasco County on Monday night.

A report by WFLA states that a woman was attempting to walk across Shamrock Drive at about 8 p.m. when she was struck by an eastbound vehicle near Nimmer Drive.

The victim, a 70-year-old New Port Richey resident, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital.

November 1, 2023

News: Collision on State Road 121 in Alachua County kills 1, injures 1

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – Two vehicles were involved in a fatal collision in Alachua County on Saturday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to a WJXT report, the drivers of a 2000 Honda sedan and a 2015 Toyota sedan were going in opposite directions on State Road 121 in Gainesville at about 6:15 a.m. The vehicles collided just south of NW 177th Avenue.

The driver of the Honda, a 53-year-old woman, was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the Toyota, a 22-year-old man, was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital.

October 31, 2023

News: Suspected drunk driver arrested in fatal Spring Hill crash

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

SPRING HILL, FL – A suspected drunk driver has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash in Hernando County.

According to Pasco News Online, the suspect was identified as 38-year-old Reinier Casola Rodriguez of Tampa. The Florida Highway Patrol said he was driving a Ford F-150 northbound on Mariner Boulevard at a high rate of speed on Oct. 18 at about 7 p.m. When he failed to negotiate a curve near Quality Drive and entered the center median, a man riding in the front seat who was not wearing a seat belt fell out of the pickup truck.

The truck continued traveling to the west shoulder before hitting a utility box. The passenger, a 34-year-old man from West Palm Beach, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital. Two other men riding in the pickup, ages 47 and 29, suffered minor injuries.

October 30, 2023

News: 5 dead in head-on collision on SR-674 in Hillsborough County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

WIMAUMA, FL – A head-on collision between two pickup trucks in Hillsborough County Sunday morning left five people dead and another injured, reports WTSP.

The accident happened on State Road 674 near Balm Wimauma Road at about 7 a.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a Toyota Tacoma pickup was going west on the roadway as a Chevy Silverado was headed east. State troopers said the driver of the Tacoma, a 29-year-old man from Bowling Green, went into the eastbound lanes and struck the Silverado.

The driver of a third pickup, a Chevrolet S-10, attempted to avoid the collision but spun and went a ditch after hitting debris from the first crash.

October 27, 2023

News: 2 injured in accident at intersection in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – An accident in Ocala Tuesday morning sent two people to the hospital and affected traffic, police said.

According to the Ocala Police Department’s Facebook post, the crash occurred at the intersection of N. Pine Avenue and State Road 40. The two people taken to the hospital sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

All northbound lanes on Pine Avenue from State Road 200 to State Road 40 were blocked, and drivers were advised to seek alternate routes. All other lanes of traffic were open. No details were released on what led to the crash.

October 26, 2023

News: 1 dead, 4 injured after motorcycle and SUV collide in Hernando County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HUDSON, FL – One person was killed and four others injured in a collision in Hernando County on Saturday afternoon, according to a WFLA report.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Fort Dade Avenue and East Avenue. The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of a Dodge Journey SUV went through a stop sign at that location, and was struck by a motorcycle.

The driver of the motorcycle, a 53-year-old Hudson man, was declared dead after being taken to an area hospital. His passenger, a 40-year-old woman from Largo, was hospitalized with serious injuries.