High School Student Dies in Tampa Crash
A student of Plant High died on Tuesday, January 21st, as a result of injuries they had sustained in a car accident that had taken place over the weekend. Reports from police working within the Tampa Police Department indicated that the incident took place on Saturday.
It was sometime during the afternoon when the 16-year-old student was traveling within their Ford Mustang down South Davis Boulevard. It was not immediately clear which direction the individual was headed down the road, but it was reported that at the time they were traveling, they were behind another car occupied by numerous other teens, believed to be classmates of the 16-year-old. Other than the driver, inside the Mustang there was only one passenger. This individual was not named or described in the initial reports.
At a certain area of the road, the driver of the Mustang decided to try and pass the car ahead of them. The area where this took place features a double yellow line dividing the two different directions, meaning that drivers are not allowed to legally pass one another. It is not clear if the driver of the Mustang saw the yellow lines or if they were unaware that the particular stretch of roadway did not allow passing.
Regardless, they pulled the Mustang out from behind the second car and began attempting to pass them. It was while the Mustang was passing that the driver lost control of the vehicle. The reports did not describe just why this happened, although it seems possible that distracted driving was partially to blame. The passenger within the Mustang was reportedly not injured in any way as a result of the incident.
When emergency response crews reached the area, the 16-year-old was still alive. He was then rushed from the crash site and taken to Tampa General Hospital for emergency treatment. Staff at the hospital worked to treat the 16-year-old for two days, until Monday, when the young person succumbed to his injuries.
At the time of this writing, it is believed that numerous friends and classmates of the student have started a GoFundMe to assist the grieving family with the medical and funeral costs.
Sources:
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.
