Wrong-Way Collision along Florida Turnpike Leaves 73-Year-Old Dead
On Tuesday morning, before the sun even rose, a 73-year-old woman was driving her Dodge Charger down the Florida Turnpike in Orange County. The only problem was the she was driving her car on the wrong side of the road. According to statements made by Florida Highway Patrol’s Steve Montiero, the Florida Highway patrol received several calls around 2:30 in the morning from alarmed drivers about a car driving north in the southbound lanes. The reports stated that this car seemed to be driving at full speed, which would have made it a brief and terrifying blur to the drivers who miraculously avoided the Charger during its trip.
In an attempt to stop the car before an accident occurred, the Florida Highway Patrol immediately sent out numerous troopers. As they were en route to the vehicle’s location, the troopers were notified that the Charger had, in fact, crashed into another vehicle near State Road 528. Montiero says that the scene that awaited the arriving officers was ghastly. The Charger had collided with a tractor-trailer nearly head on, causing the big rig to skid off the road and into the median and nearly obliterating the Charger. According to Montiero, it took the troopers some time before they were even able to locate the remains of the Charger’s driver.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was a 53-year-old man from Winter Springs. He was transported immediately to the Hunters Creek emergency department. His injuries were described as serious, however it is expected that he will survive the initial cash. Neither he nor the 73-year-old woman have had their names released, and it is not clear if the woman has been identified. Currently, investigators are attempting to recreate the events leading up to the crash. It is not known whether the woman accidentally entered the highway using the wrong ramp, if she blew threw a tollbooth going the wrong direction, or if she crossed over the lanes after she had already entered the highway.
Due to the extensive damage, the wide area over which the wreckage spread, and the uncertainty as to whether or not hazmat teams would be needed, the Florida Turnpike around the crash site remained closed for a significant period of time.
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.