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Vehicle Crashes

• Loose Barbeque Grill Kills 3 On I-95
  Jul 07, 2010

  Florida Today reports that Florida state troopers are still deciding whether to file criminal charges against Daniel Porter in connection with a weekend crash in Brevard County that took the lives of three motorists and seriously injured another.  Apparently, Daniel Porter was operating a pickup truck northbound on I-95 near State Road 407 when a barbeque grill that had been in the payload of his truck flipped out of the truck and on to the surface of I-95.
  
  A vehicle containing two couple from Melbourne was traveling behind Mr. Porter on Interstate 95 swerved to avoid the grill and then lost control, spun, rolled, and struck and tree.  Three of the occupants were killed in the crash, and one was seriously injured.
  
  Although troopers acknowledged the duty of all motorists to safely secure their loads, no decision has been made regarding criminally charging Mr. Porter.
  
  - 1 - 10

• Webster Car Crash Kills Two
  Jun 23, 2010

  Two senior citizens were in serious condition at Lakeland Regional Hospital after being involved in a serious automobile crash in Webster, Sumter County, Florida, last Sunday.
  
  Orlando's Channel 6 is reporting that Kodi Chamberlain and Roger Higby were heading southbound in a 2000 Jeep on State Road 471 when something made them leave the roadway to their right.  Apparently the driver over-corrected, causing the Jeep to veer into oncoming traffic headed northbound.  Unfortunately for an elderly couple, their's was the vehicle heading northbound.
  
  Both Chamberlain and Higby were ejected from the Jeep, and Channel 6 reports that both men died from their injuries.
  
  Our sympathies go out to the occupants and families from both vehicles.  Although we do not know the exact details about the ejections of Chamberlain and Higby, our experience suggests that they were not wearing seatbelts.  Ejections very rarely happen when seatbelts are properly used. - 2 - 10

• 13 Injured When Lynx Bus Rearended on Highway 50
  Jun 08, 2010

  A Lynx bus full of passengers was rear-ended this afternoon on Highway 50 near I-4.  Local media is reporting that 12 people on the bus reported injuries, and that the driver of the car that rear-ended the bus was seriously injured.
  
  Local fire rescue was dispatched to the scene and triage areas were set up to treat injured passengers.  Several were taken by ambulance to local hospitals, including one main who complained of severe chest pain.
  
  Traffic on Colonial Drive was shut down for some time while the accident scene was being worked by first responders.
  
  Click here for video of the accident scene. - 3 - 10

• Distracted Driver Reaching For Cell Phone | Law Enforcement Injured
  May 24, 2010

  A distracted driver reaching for his cell phone crashed into three vehicles parking along South Apopka Vineland Road early this morning.  A Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a Windermere police officer had pulled over a motorist to issue her a speeding ticket when Chris Patterson approached, began looking down in his car searching for his cell phone, and veered off the road impacting all three vehicles.  Mr. Patterson was so distracted that he apparently did not see two police cars with full emergency lights activated on a traffic stop.  Luckily both officers had yet to exit their vehicles and were sitting in their cars when Mr. Patterson arrived on the scene.
  
  The two law enforcement officers were injured and taken by ambulance for treatment.  The Florida Highway Patrol trooper had to be cut out of his vehicle by the jaws of life.  The two law enforcement officers were treated and (thankfully) released from the hospital with only minor injuries.  Mr. Patterson was field sobriety tested, but did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol.  Local news outlets are reporting that Mr. Patterson's license had already been revoked for multiple traffic violations in recent years.
  
  As I have discussed several times this year (here, here, and here) distracted driving is one of the biggest problems we face on Orlando roadways.  Cell phones, texting, and soon -- websurfing -- all increase the change that a distracted driver will make a mistake and hurt or kill somebody.  The Florida Legislature refused to do anything about texting while driving last session.  What do you think about distracted driving?  - 4 - 10

• Pedestrian Killed By GMC Pickup Leaving Destination Daytona
  May 17, 2010

  A 66-year old Holly Hill man was hit and killed last Saturday night as he attempted to cross U.S. Highway 1 near Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach.  The Holly Hill man had attended a concert at Destination Daytona, and was crossing U.S. 1 after the show.  Another concertgoer -- a 39- year old man from Longwood -- was also leaving the venue when he hit the accidnent victim with his GMC truck.
  
  Destination Daytona is an entertainment complex in Volusia County whose anchor tenant is a Harley Davidson dealership.  There are several restaurants, bars, and other motorcycle-related businesses.  There is also a concert venue in the complex.
  
  It is not known whether the accident victim was crossing in a crosswalk, or what road conditions or lighting conditions were.  At the time that the Orlando Sentinel reported on this accident, charges by the Florida Highway Patrol were pending.
  
  It is always important to be vigilant and to drive with car when leaving a sizeable event where pedestrians will be found.  This is particularly true of events where alcohol might be served, as both drivers and pedestrians may be impaired and may not be utilizing best judgement.  Many facilities will hire extra people to control or direct traffic unders such circumstances.
  
  We feel for the family of the Holly Hill man, and hope that Destination Daytona avoids more tragedies like this one. - 5 - 10

• Orlando Motorcycle Crash Kills Candelaria
  May 03, 2010

  A motorcycle ride turned deadly for Christian Rios Candelaria Sunday night on Conway Road, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
  
  At approximately 10PM last night, Christian Rios Candelaria was riding his 2005 Suzuki motorcycle northbound on Conway Road.  As Mr. Candelaria approached the Conway's intersection with Gatlin Avenue, an Infiniti being driven by 19-year old Garrett Beach attempted to make a left-hand turn from southbound Conway Road.  Mr. Candelaria's motorcycle collided with the side of the Infiniti.  He was thrown from his vehicle and later pronounced dead.  The Orlando Sentinel reported that Mr. Candelaria was not wearing a helmet, but thanks to the Florida Legislature motorcyclists are not required by law to wear helmets.
  
  Our hearts go out to the Candelaria family.  Unfortunately, operating a motorcycle is an extremely dangerous undertaking in Central Florida.  We have previously reported on the needless tragedies that have been created when drivers don't look for motorcyclists before pulling out here and here.
  
  The unfortunate truth about motorcyclists is that they are exposed, and any mistake or lapse in judgement by the motorcyclist or the drivers around him will either lead to a serious personal injury or a wrongful death.  We are in favor of additional training for drivers to be taught to look for motorcyclists on the roadways. - 6 - 10

• Lake County Bus Crash Nets At Least Five Injured
  Apr 29, 2010

  A Lake County public transit bus was rear-ended yesterday causing injuries to five people.  WKMG is reporting that the bus stopped to unload passengers on U.S. Highway 441 in Tavares, near Angelo's Restaurant.
  
  As the bus began pulling from the bus stop, it was rear-ended by a teenager driving an SUV.  The impact was severe enough to injure four bus passengers, as well as the negligent teenage driver.  In fact, the teenager was said to be on life support at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
  
  As the father of a teenager, I pray that young man involved in this accident makes a speedy and healthy recovery.  At the same time, I feel for the people who were sitting on the bus, minding their own business, when they became injured.
  
  To make matters worse, unless the injured bus passengers have health insurance, it is going to be difficult for them to receive quality health care.  Unfortunately, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits are not available for injuries from bus accidents.
  
  We have experience handling injury cases for bus passengers.  Call us at 407-254-4901 with your questions. - 7 - 10

• Accused Drunk Driver Kills War Hero In Crash
  Apr 05, 2010

  Jason Russo, a decorated war hero from his military service in Iraq, was tragically killed when his motorcycle was hit by Okevin Moradian on County Road 419, near Chuluota, in Seminole County, Florida.  Mr. Russo was riding his motorcyle home from his job as a state corrections officer at the Central Florida Reception Center off of State Road 528.
  
  Accoriding to State Troopers, Mr. Moradian suddenly attempted to complete a turn right in front of Mr. Russo's motorcycle.  Troopers believed that Mr. Moradian was drunk at the scene, but he refused to submit to a sobriety test.  It appears that Mr. Moradian has some experience and expertise in dealing with roadside sobriety tests.  Public records indicate that this is Moradian's third drunk driving arrest overall, and his second in less than one year.
  
  Our hearts go out to the Russo family.  It is difficult to understand how a multiple offender like Mr. Moradian should be allowed to continue driving.  More needs to be done to keep people like Mr. Moradian off of the roads.
  
  From a civil justice perspective, drunk driving potentially exposes the drunk driver to punitive damages.  These are damages over-and-above the compensatory damages designed to make the injured party, or his family in the case of a wrongful death, whole.  Punitive damages are designed to punish the wrongdoer, and to discourage anyone else from committing the same wrong. - 8 - 10

• Texting Bus Accident Danger | Seminole Auto Accidents
  Mar 19, 2010

  I was shocked when I saw this story on a local television website.  Thea Lawler, a high school junior, got concerned when the school bus driver who was driving her and her schoolmates home from school reached for his cell phone and started texting while driving a bus load of kids.  She quickly grabbed her own cell phone and took some photos.
  
  To make matters worse, this bus driver was driving on State Road 436 - one of our areas busiest, most congested roads, and a road often listed as one of the most dangerous and accident-riddled roads in Central Florida.
  
  This is just one more example of a problem I've been blogging about for months.  I even shot some video about it.
  
  - 9 - 10

• Tragic Bushnell Motorcycle Crash
  Mar 15, 2010

  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the two motorcyclists and their two passengers who were killed at the intersection of County Road 476 and County Road 629 in Bushnell this past Saturday night.  The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Paul Sermons drove his 1991 GMC truck into the lane where the two motorcyclists were travelling.  Apparently, Mr. Sermons was trying to pass a slower moving vehicle at the time.
  
  This tragic motorcycle accident stands as a stark reminder to all of us who drive in Florida that we must look out for all types of vehicles as we operate our cars and trucks.  As an avid bicyclist, I am particularly concerned the motorists look out for bicycles near the shoulder of the road.  In Central Florida, we are blessed with a very active motorcycling community.  This community of riders contributes to our economy in many positive ways.  We need to be ever mindful of their presence on our roads, and to respect their right of way.
  
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