Marion County

October 3, 2022

News: High-speed car accident in Marion County leaves teen driver dead

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a high-speed car crash killed a teenage driver in Marion County.

According to a report by WKMG, a 17-year-old was driving a car at a high rate of speed on SE 58th Avenue Sept. 25 when the accident occurred at about 5:45 p.m.

State troopers said the driver lost control of the car after the left tire sustained a failure. The car went off the road, and when the driver overcorrected, the vehicle went back across the roadway and onto a grass shoulder before crashing into a wooden fence.

September 28, 2022

News: Leesburg man killed when motorcycle collides with car at Ocala intersection

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – The Florida Highway Patrol said a motorcycle rider was killed in a collision with a car at an intersection in Ocala on Saturday afternoon.

The Ocala Star-Banner reports state troopers responded to the scene at Southeast 31st Street and Southeast 36th Avenue shortly before 3:30 p.m.

According to the FHP, a man was driving his motorcycle west on Southeast 31st Street and went through the intersection as the driver of a Toyota Camry was making a left turn onto Southeast 36th Avenue and the vehicles collided.

September 27, 2022

News: 13-year-old boy dies after being hit by Marion County school maintenance vehicle

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – Ocala police said a teenage boy died after being hit by a Marion County Public School maintenance vehicle last week.

In a Facebook post, the Ocala Police Department said the incident took place Thursday morning on SW 20th Street at about 6:50 a.m. The investigation determined that the victim, a 13-year-old boy, was riding with his mother on a motorcycle heading east.

When the woman stopped the motorcycle, the boy got off to see a friend on the sidewalk and ran across the westbound lanes of traffic. At that point he was hit by the maintenance vehicle, which was towing a trailer and a lawn mower.

September 22, 2022

News: SUV driver dead following collision with Marion County school bus

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – Police in Ocala said the driver of a sport utility vehicle died following a collision with a school bus Wednesday morning.

According to the Ocala-News, the two vehicles were going in opposite directions near the intersection of SE 36th Avenue and SE 15th Street at about 8:10 a.m. Police said the driver of the SUV swerved through traffic, crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a Marion County school bus. The SUV then hit a tree.

The SUV driver, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead after being taken to an area hospital. No one else was in the vehicle. No one was injured on board the bus, which was carrying high school students.

September 12, 2022

News: Crash near Cannon Farms in Dunellon leaves 1 dead, 4 injured

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

DUNELLON, FL – State troopers said a vehicle going south on SW 180th Avenue in Dunnellon was involved in a deadly crash over the weekend.

According to the Ocala News, five people were in a sedan involved in the accident on Saturday night at about 8:30 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 27-year-old woman was driving near the intersection of SW Highway 484 when the vehicle struck a gate in the private driveway of Cannon Farms. The car hit several fence posts and trees, and ended up on the driveway.

The driver, a Homosassa resident, was pronounced dead a short time later. Four passengers in the sedan who range in age 18 to 25 were seriously injured and taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital. Troopers said none of the occupants were wearing seat belts.

September 1, 2022

News: Driver hospitalized after 2 vehicles collide in Ocala

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – A collision between two vehicles in Marion County sent one of the drivers to the hospital, the Ocala-News reports.

Police, fire and emergency crews responded to the scene Monday night in the 5000 block of SW 60th Street in Ocala at about 8:45 p.m. First responders saw an Audi in the middle of the road with damage on the front passenger side, and a Ford on a fence next to a tree with heavy damage on the passenger side.

The driver of the Ford was taken to an area hospital with injuries from the accident. The driver of the Audi needed help getting out of the vehicle but did not need to be extricated. No other injuries were reported. No details were immediately available on what led to the crash.

August 24, 2022

News: Man sentenced to prison for Ocala crash that killed 3 family members

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

OCALA, FL – A driver was sentenced to prison for a crash in Ocala that left three people dead, reports the Ocala StarBanner.

37-year-old Travis Lee Johnson pleaded no contest last week in connection with the accident that occurred in January 2017 in the area of County Road 326 and Northeast 25th Avenue.

Authorities said Johnson was behind the wheel of a tow truck on County Road 326 when he veered off the road onto a shoulder, went back onto the roadway and slammed into a sport utility vehicle.

August 18, 2022

News: Driver, 78, injured in collision with school bus in Marion County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – A driver was injured in a collision with a school bus in Marion County Tuesday morning, state troopers said.

The accident happened in the vicinity of SW 20th Avenue Road and SW 154th Street Road at about 8 a.m., according to WGFL.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 78-year-old woman was driving a Jeep north on SW 20th Avenue Road when she drove off the roadway onto a grass shoulder. When she tried to get back on the road, the Jeep was hit by a northbound school bus and the impact sent both vehicles onto the grass.

July 5, 2022

News: 18-year-old driver killed when car crashes into tree in Marion County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – State troopers said a teenage driver died following a fiery car accident in Marion County on Friday night.

Ocala-News reports the crash occurred on SE 95th Street near SE 7th Avenue Road between Ocala and Belleview at about 10:40 p.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, an 18-year-old man was driving a sedan eastbound at a high rate of speed when he went off the roadway and crashed into a tree, causing the car to catch fire.

The driver, an Ocala resident, was pronounced dead at the scene by Marion County Fire Rescue paramedics. No one else was in the car.

June 17, 2022

News: Semi-truck driver injured after collision with train in Marion County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

MARION COUNTY, FL – A train and a semi-truck were involved in a collision in Marion County Wednesday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to WGFL, the accident happened along the railroad tracks near County Road 318 and NE 24th Avenue at about 10:45 a.m. The FHP responded to the scene along with Marion County Fire Rescue crews, and found that the driver of the semi-truck had sustained minor injuries while the truck had some front-end damage. No other injuries were reported.

The incident shut down the eastbound lane of County Road 318 for nearly three hours before reopening at about 2 p.m. There was no immediate word on what led to the crash.