Alachua County

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.

January 13, 2023

News: Woman arrested for fatal hit-and-run incident in Gainesville

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

GAINESVILLE, FL – Police in Gainesville have announced an arrest in connection with a deadly hit-and-run crash.

According to a report by WGFL, 29-year-old Margaret Walker turned herself in in connection with the incident that happened on South Main Street on November 27, 2022.

Police said Walker was driving a Volvo XC-90 when she struck a bicycle rider and then left the scene. The victim’s body was discovered the following morning.

January 3, 2023

News: 17-year-old driver killed, 3 others injured in single-vehicle crash on I-75

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a car accident on Interstate 75 Saturday night claimed the life of a teenage driver.

According to the Gainesville Sun, the incident took place on I-75 north in Alachua County at the exit ramp at mile marker 384. State troopers said a car driven by a 17-year-old girl crashed at about 10:48 p.m.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene while three passengers, two 17-year-old girls and a 19-year-old man, were critically injured. All the vehicle’s occupants were Ocala residents.

December 19, 2022

News: Driver injured after crashing into tree on US 301 in Orange Heights

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – A driver was seriously injured in a car accident in Alachua County early Thursday morning, officials said.

According to a report by WGFL, Alachua County Fire Rescue responded to the scene on US 301 in Orange Heights along with the Florida Highway Patrol and Melrose firefighters.

A driver who was headed south on US 301 crashed into a tree at about 1:45 a.m, according to investigators. Rescue crews used the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver from his car and he was taken to the Shands Emergency Room in serious condition.

December 9, 2022

News: Pickup and SUV involved in deadly collision on U.S. 441

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a pickup truck and an SUV were involved in a fatal collision in Alachua County on Tuesday night.

According to WCJB, the crash took place on U.S. 441 near Northwest 239th Street in High Springs. The FHP said a man was driving a pickup truck on U.S. 441 at about 6:20 p.m. He swerved into the opposite lane and collided with an SUV driven by a 59-year-old woman.

The driver of the pickup, a 71-year-old Fort White man, was thrown from his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers said he was not wearing a seat belt at the time. No other injuries were reported.

December 5, 2022

News: Driver seriously injured in rollover accident on US Highway 301

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

WALDO, FL – A driver was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident in Alachua County Friday morning, authorities said.

A report by WCJB stated that the crash happened on northeast US Highway 301 near Waldo. Investigators determined that a vehicle went off the roadway, flipped multiple times, and came to rest against a tree.

The driver was taken to an area trauma center and was listed in serious condition.

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.