Osceola Accident Between Oyster-Hauling Truck and Lexus Kills One
A strange accident on Wednesday has left Osceola County police looking for a truck full of oysters in connection with the death of a 71-year-old man. The incident that has left authorities scrambling for answers took place around 8:00 in the evening, at the intersection of U.S. 192 and Hickory Tree Road. Reconstructions of the scene display a strange series of events.
Florida Highway Patrol spokespeople stated that the truck, a red, flatbed semi-truck, was hauling oysters down U.S. 192. As the driver neared Hickory Tree Road they encountered a 2005 Lexus driven by an unnamed 71-year-old man. For reasons that are uncertain, and in a series of events that is similarly in question, the driver of the flatbed truck turned directly in front of the Lexus, exiting the highway and joining Hickory Tree Road. The driver of the Lexus was unable to stop in time and collided with the right side of the flatbed truck.
The incident was reported at 8:04 in the evening, although it is not clear just who made the call. When the authorities arrived, they found the mangled Lexus, but the truck was nowhere in sight. Tending to the man trapped inside of his vehicle, the first responders attempted to extricate him from the wreckage. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts they declared him dead at the scene of the incident.
Florida Highway Patrol members and other law enforcement groups are now in search of the red flatbed truck. There is very little information regarding this vehicle other than that it is large, red, and full of oysters.
Accidents such as this one are often difficult to boil down to one specific instigator. Often, both cars involved will be responsible for some element of the accident, although there are certainly numerous cases when only one individual is to blame. When one of the drivers flees the scene, however, the potential legal repercussions leap forward in severity. Currently, the driver of the flatbed is potentially facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, negligence, fleeing the scene of an accident, and fleeing from the scene of a fatality.
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.