Alachua County

June 21, 2023

News: I-75 shut down in Alachua County following crash, chemical spill

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – A multi-vehicle accident shut down Interstate 75 in Alachua County in both directions for most of the day on Tuesday, reports the Gainesville Sun.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened in the southbound lanes of I-75 after a vehicle hydroplaned near Northwest 39th Avenue just before 6 a.m. That caused a collision involving six other vehicles, including two tractor-trailers and two pickup trucks.

One of the semis overturned, causing a chemical spill of thousands of gallons on the interstate at mile marker 391.

June 1, 2023

Pasco County woman fatally struck by trailer at Ginnie Springs

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

HIGH SPRINGS, FL – State troopers said a woman was killed in an accident at Ginnie Springs on Friday night, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The Florida Highway Patrol said that the victim was a 45-year-old resident of Holiday in Pasco County. An investigation indicated that she was standing in the bed of a moving Jeep at about 6:30 p.m. when she lost her balance and fell out of the back of the vehicle. At that point, the victim was run over by the trailer hitched to the back of the vehicle.

The woman was pronounced dead after being taken to UF Health in Gainesville. The driver of the Jeep was a 53-year-old Dunedin man.

May 25, 2023

News: Driver of semi-truck charged with DUI after crash on Interstate 75

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – Authorities said a driver was arrested in connection with an accident in Alachua County on Saturday morning, the Gainesville Sun reports.

The incident happened along Interstate 75 southbound near mile marker 403 at 8:40 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of a semi-truck with a trailer carrying frozen food went off the roadway, onto the left median shoulder and through a guardrail.

The truck overturned and the trailer ended up in the northbound lanes of I-75. It was struck there by a box truck.

April 28, 2023

News: 18-year-old motorcyclist dies in crash on State Road 235 in Alachua

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA, FL – A teenager was killed when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck in Alachua Sunday night, according to WGFL.

The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the accident scene on West State Road 235 near County Road 237 at about 8:30 p.m.

The FHP said the 18-year-old victim was riding his motorcycle west on West State Road 235 when he was hit at the intersection with County Road 237 by a northbound pickup truck hauling a trailer.

April 11, 2023

News: Motorcyclist, 57, dies following crash on SR-235 in Alachua County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a motorcycle rider was killed in an accident in Alachua County early Sunday morning.

According to WGFL, state troopers were dispatched to the scene on State Road 235 near Northwest 40th Terrace at about 5:45 a.m. Their investigation determined that the motorcyclist was heading west when he struck a deer in the road and was thrown from his bike.

The rider landed in the roadway and was struck by a westbound pickup truck. The motorcyclist, a 57-year-old man from Starke, was pronounced dead at the scene. The man driving the pickup truck was not hurt.

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 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.

February 21, 2023

News: Pedestrian, 75, struck and killed by car on State Road 121

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a man died in a pedestrian accident while walking in Alachua County on Thursday night.

According to the Ocala News, the crash happened at the intersection of State Road 121 and SW 137th Avenue. The FHP said the victim was trying to walk across State Road 121 at about 7:15 p.m. when he was hit by a sedan headed southbound.

The pedestrian, a 75-year-old Archer man, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car, a 56-year-old woman from Morriston, was not injured. No one else was in the car at the time.

January 24, 2023

News: 5-year-old boy struck, killed by vehicle in Alachua

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA, FL – Police say a pedestrian accident in Alachua Friday morning left a child dead, according to WGFL.

The incident occurred in the 15400 block of Hipp Way near Criswell Park at about 7 a.m. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office notified local police that a child had been struck by a car.

Responding officers found the injured victim, a 5-year-old boy. He was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital.

January 17, 2023

News: 2 drivers injured when vehicles crash, overturn on I-75

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – A rollover accident involving two vehicles in Alachua County left both drivers injured, reports the Ocala-News.

The vehicles, an Isuzu truck and a Kia Sorrento, were headed north on Interstate 75 Friday morning when the crash took place at about 8:15 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said both vehicles veered off the interstate near mile marker 378 and went onto the east shoulder.

The vehicles overturned multiple times and came to rest in the wood line, and the Isuzu driver, a 32-year-old man, was ejected. That man and the driver of the Kia, a 79-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries and were taken to UF Health Shands Hospital.