Head-On Lake County Crash Kills One, Critically Injuries Another

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 20, 2019

A series of accidents caused by a single car traveling the wrong direction down County Road 42 in Lake County has resulted in the death of at least one individual while another remains in critical condition. Reports from the Florida Highway Patrol indicate that the auto accident happened during the morning of Saturday, May 18th, along a stretch of County Road 42 that lies close to National Forest Service 536.

It was just after 7:30 that a 35-year-old individual was behind the wheel of a Dodge pickup truck, traveling down the eastern lanes of County Road 42. It is not known if this individual was intoxicated or suffering from the effects of some other substance, but we know that they suddenly pulled their pickup truck out of the eastern lanes and into the westbound ones.

As it sped towards the oncoming traffic, it is not believed that the driver of the Dodge made much attempt to avoid the oncoming cars. For their part, the drivers now confronted with a large pickup truck speeding towards them attempted to swerve out of the way. The first car the pickup encountered was pulling a trailer. The driver of this car pulled at their wheel, but they were nevertheless struck by the Dodge which then continued on its way, forcing another car off of the roadway and into a ditch lying close to the asphalt.

The driver of the Dodge continued on his eastern way down the western lanes until he collided with one final car—another Dodge pickup truck, in fact. Behind the wheel of this car was a 71-year-old driver. As well as the driver, there was a passenger inside of the car, although the name and identity of this person was not included in the initial reports.

Emergency services were already on their way after reports of the first two incidents began rushing in. By the time they arrived at the final crash site, there was nothing that could be done for the passenger inside of the second Dodge. This individual was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the second Dodge was also badly injured and they were transported to a nearby hospital where they remain in critical condition at the time of this writing.

The incident remains under investigation while authorities seek to understand just what caused the driver of the first Dodge to enter the western lanes in the first place.

Sources:

• 1 dead, 1 in critical condition after head-on crash in Lake County, troopers say

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.