Careless Driver Causes $20,000 in Damages to Shalimar Private Property

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on January 12, 2017

An 18 year old Florida man received minor injuries following a weekend car accident that caused damage to property – including a fire that threatened the safety of nearby electrical power lines. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the accident happened early Saturday morning when the driver crashed his Toyota Camry into a roadside mailbox before running through a wooden fence and crashing into tree and flipping over. Once it came to a stop, the car then caught fire and threatened to damage the power lines that stretched across the private property where the crash happened.

The accident happened along Meigs Drive in Shalimar, Florida. The police report clearly reads that the driver was operating his Toyota in a “careless and negligent manner”. The police report also states that although the driver originally fled the accident scene, he did return after about ten minutes. The driver was not seriously injured, mainly because he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. However, he was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment to minor injuries. Police have cited the driver with careless driving as no evidence of drugs or alcohol use has been found.

The estimated damage to the private property is at least $20,000.00. The owners of the property have the legal right to seek compensation for these damages from the driver. Although when we talk about car accidents and damages, we tend to think about getting compensation for personal injuries, Florida law allows those who have suffered damages of any kind – including to a tree, fence, mailbox and powerlines on one’s private property – to file a lawsuit for compensation. To do so, one must show that the driver was acting negligently, that this negligent action caused the accident and that, as a result of the accident, you have suffered damages.

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.