Citrus County

July 19, 2023

News: Man killed in crash while trying to flee Citrus County traffic stop

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a man trying to evade law enforcement authorities was killed in a crash in Citrus County early Saturday morning.

According to WKMG, a deputy attempted a traffic stop on the driver of a Jeep Cherokee who was headed west on State Road 44 through Inverness sometime before 1:30 a.m. The FHP said the man drove away at a high rate of speed.

After deputies deployed stop sticks on County Road 491, the driver of the Jeep drove over the sticks, continued on and crossed the median of SR-44 near W Crystal Oaks Drive. The vehicle then hit a light post and a concrete wall before catching fire.

July 5, 2023

News: Citrus County man killed when car collides with golf cart

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a car and a golf cart were involved in a fatal collision in Citrus County.

A report by WTVT states the accident took place Friday afternoon on West Fenway Drive near Lake Marie Terrace.

The FHP said a Nissan Rogue and a golf cart were both heading south, with the cart traveling in the bicycle lane. The driver of the Nissan Rogue, a 48-year-old man, passed the golf cart and slowed down to make a turn onto North Lake Marie Terrace, investigators said.

June 20, 2023

News: Rollover car wreck in Citrus County leaves 1 dead, 3 injured

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A teenage driver was killed and three other people were injured when their vehicle crashed in Citrus County on Saturday afternoon, according to WTVT.

The accident happened on West Fort Island Trail west of North Seabreeze Point. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 16-year-old boy was driving a Jeep Cherokee eastbound with three passengers when he lost control of the vehicle while going along a curve. The Jeep went off the roadway and overturned multiple times.

The driver and his 7-year-old brother were both thrown from the SUV. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene while the young boy was seriously injured.

April 18, 2023

News: Bicyclist struck by hit-and-run driver in Citrus County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A bicyclist was injured after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Citrus County Friday night, WFLA reports.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 49-year-old man was riding his bicycle on West Grover Cleveland Boulevard at about 10:25 p.m. when he was hit by an eastbound sedan. The victim, a Homosassa resident, was seriously injured and airlifted to an area hospital.

State troopers said the driver of the sedan kept going after the collision without stopping to help, and is now being sought. The bicyclist, who was not wearing a helmet at the time, did have a light on his bike.

November 23, 2022

News: 4-year-old boy injured when sedan hits ATV on County Road 490

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A collision involving a sedan and an ATV in Citrus County sent a young boy to the hospital, the Citrus County Chronicle reports.

The accident occurred Saturday night as both vehicles were headed south on County Road 490 near South Bolton Avenue at about 9:40 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of the sedan, a 49-year-old man, was not able to see the ATV because it had no lights and crashed into the back of the vehicle. The sedan driver then lost control and went off the road before hitting a tree.

A 4-year-old Homosassa boy who was in the second row of the ATV was flown to St. Joseph Children’s Hospital in the Tampa area with undisclosed injuries. The two drivers and three other passengers in the ATV, two women and a teenage girl, were not injured in the crash.

September 16, 2022

News: 2 injured in multi-vehicle collision involving Citrus County school bus

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – Two people were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after a multi-vehicle accident involving a school bus in Citrus County, the Citrus County Chronicle reports.

The incident happened along North Dunkenfield Avenue near the intersection with North Marion May at about 3:08 p.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a Chevrolet HHR was stopped in the northbound lane of North Dunkenfield at about the same time a Citrus County School District bus had stopped to make a turn at the intersection.

The FHP said the driver of a Dodge Caravan did not see that the Chevrolet had stopped in front of him and rear-ended the vehicle, causing it to hit the left side of the bus as it was turning.

September 8, 2022

News: Man killed when SUV collides with tree, overturns in Crystal River

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CRYSTAL RIVER, FL – An accident in Citrus County involving a sport utility vehicle left a driver dead, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to WFLA, the wreck happened in Crystal River Wednesday morning at about 1:30 a.m. State troopers said a 33-year-old man was driving an SUV west on Fort Island Trail and was not able to negotiate a curve in the roadway near North Seabreeze Point.

The SUV went off the roadway, struck a tree and overturned. The driver, a Lecanto resident, was pronounced dead at the scene.

August 17, 2022

News: Man pleads no contest in car crash near Inverness that left 3 dead

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – The driver charged in a car accident that killed three people in Citrus County has pleaded no contest in the case, according to a report by the Citrus County Chronicle.

56-year-old Phillip Sawhill of Land O’Lakes will be sentenced Oct. 4 on three counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.

The crash took place Dec. 24, 2019 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 people in the Kia, ages 86, 85 and 62, were pronounced dead at the scene.

July 25, 2022

News: Driver arrested on DUI charge following 4-vehicle crash in Citrus County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – A driver involved in a crash in Citrus County was arrested after authorities said he drove while impaired.

According to the Citrus County Chronicle, 29-year-old Aaron Michael Walnum of Homosassa was taken into custody and booked into county jail on a misdemeanor charge of DUI involving property damage.

The accident happened July 17 at the intersection of West Norvell Bryant Highway and Pine Ridge Boulevard. The Florida Highway Patrol said Walnum’s car struck the back of another vehicle, causing a collision that involved two additional vehicles.

July 14, 2022

News: Pickup trucks involved in fatal collision after driver runs red light on U.S. 19

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

CITRUS COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said two pickup trucks were involved in a fatal collision in Citrus County on Monday afternoon.

According to a report by Ocala-News, the incident occurred on U.S. 19 near W Dunnellon Road at about 3 p.m.

The FHP said a 47-year-old man was driving a pickup truck northbound and went through a red light at the intersection. The vehicle collided with the side of another pickup that was making a left turn under a green traffic signal.