Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

November 10, 2022

News: Man sentenced to life in prison in car crash near Inverness that killed 3 women

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

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.

November 9, 2022

News: Collision at intersection in Ocala leaves 1 dead, 3 hospitalized

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – One person was killed and three others injured in a collision at an intersection in Ocala Saturday evening, reports Ocala-News.

Police responded to the scene in the vicinity of NW 27th Avenue and NW 10th Street at about 9:45 p.m. An investigation indicated that a Hyundai Elantra and a BMW 228i were stopped at the intersection after approaching from opposite directions.

When the traffic pattern changed, both vehicles began to move forward. The driver of a northbound Honda Pilot failed to stop, entered the intersection, hit the front of the Hyundai and then struck the BMW on the driver’s side.

November 8, 2022

News: Woman struck, killed by vehicles on SW Archer Road in Alachua County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a woman was killed in a pedestrian accident in Alachua County Friday morning.

According to WUFT, the incident took place on Southwest Archer Road near Southwest 63rd Boulevard at about 6:45 a.m. The FHP said the victim was walking across the eastbound lanes of the roadway against the light. A 51-year-old driver saw the woman, veered and slightly clipped her at a low speed.

The woman fell into traffic, where she was hit by a sedan driven by a 55-year-old woman who said she did not see the pedestrian. The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers stopped and waited for authorities to arrive.

November 7, 2022

News: Brooksville man dies following single-vehicle crash on CR-572

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL – State troopers said a single-vehicle accident in Hernando County early Thursday morning left a driver dead.

WFLA reports the crash occurred on CR-572 east of Crum Road at about 4:30 a.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a Brooksville man was driving a truck westbound when he was unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway.

The vehicle went off the road, hit a mailbox, went back across the roadway and collided with a tree. The 68-year-old driver was declared dead after being transported to an area hospital.

November 4, 2022

News: 79-year-old woman on bicycle struck, killed by van on Suncoast Trail

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – An elderly woman was killed in an accident while riding a bicycle in Pasco County Tuesday morning, state troopers said.

WFLA reports the 79-year-old victim was riding south on the Suncoast Trail when the crash took place shortly before 9:30 a.m.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the bicyclist did not stop for a posted stop sign on the trail and ended up in the path of a van that was about to merge right to westbound Ridge Road. The van and the bicycle collided and the bicycle rider, a New Port Richey resident, was declared dead after being transported to a hospital.

November 3, 2022

News: Head-on collision on State Road 40 leaves 1 dead, 2 injured

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – Two vehicles were involved in a deadly head-on crash in Marion County last week, the Ocala StarBanner reports.

The accident occurred on State Road 40 near Northeast 118th Avenue Road, where first responders arrived at the scene at about 3:16 p.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of a Hyundai Elantra was going west on SR 40 and swerved to avoid traffic that had slowed for a turning vehicle. The Elantra crashed into a Hyundai Kona that was going east on the roadway.

November 2, 2022

News: 2 hurt in crash after driver runs red light near Brownwood, police say

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

WILDWOOD, FL – Police in Wildwood said two drivers were hospitalized following a collision that occurred on Saturday morning.

According to the Villages-News, the incident happened in the area of Meggison Road and State Road 44 near Brownwood at 7:12 a.m. Investigators determined that 56-year-old Judith Anne Cervini was behind the wheel of a Kia Optima heading north on Meggison Road and went through a red light. The Kia struck the front of a Mazda Miata that had the green light while going west on State Road 44.

Cervini was taken to UF Health-Leesburg Hospital while the driver of the Mazda, 63-year-old Julia Ann Von Ah of the VIllage of Chitty Chatty, was transported to UF Health-The Villages Hospital freestanding Emergency Room at Brownwood. Both drivers had head and neck pain.

November 1, 2022

News: Man fatally struck by vehicles after SUV breaks down on Pasco County interstate

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

PASCO COUNTY, FL – A pedestrian died after being struck by multiple vehicles on Interstate 75 in Pasco County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to the Citrus County Chronicle, the incident began when a Ford Expedition broke down on I-75 south near Land O’Lakes Thursday shortly after 5 a.m.

The FHP said the two occupants of the Ford, a 41-year-old man and his 20-year-old son, were both impaired and got out of the vehicle that had stopped on the interstate. The man, a Tampa resident, attempted to walk across I-75 but was hit by three different vehicles and suffered fatal injuries.

October 31, 2022

Stop for School Buses | Florida Injury Lawyers Whittel & Melton

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

School buses happen to be one of the safest vehicles on the roadway. Every day, millions of children ride school buses and less than 1% of all traffic deaths involve children on school buses.

School buses are designed so that they are highly visible to others and are equipped with safety features like flashing red lights, stop-arm signs, cross-view mirrors, high crush standards, protective seating, and rollover protection features.

Children are at a greater risk of being involved in an accident when entering or exiting a school bus than when they are passengers on one, so it is very important for all drivers, parents, and students to understand school bus safety.

October 31, 2022

News: 5 dead, 3 injured in multi-vehicle accident in Hillsborough County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said five people died after a multi-vehicle crash Sunday night in Hillsborough County.

According to WFTS, the incident happened on State Road 39 near Bruton Road at about 9:22 p.m. The FHP said the driver of a northbound Ford Explorer crossed over the center line and crashed into a southbound Nissan Frontier nearly head-on. The Explorer ended up on a shoulder of the highway while the Frontier came to rest in the southbound lane, where it was was struck a short time later by a tractor-trailer.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene: the drivers of the Frontier and the Explorer, and two passengers in the Explorer, a 56-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl. Another passenger in the Explorer, a 1-year-old child, died after being taken to an area hospital. Three other passengers in the SUV, ages 5, 22 and 31, were seriously injured. The driver of the third vehicle was not hurt.