RSSHigh-Speed Chase Along I-95 Spans Numerous Counties in Central Florida
A 33-year-old from Leesburg led police and Florida Highway Patrol troopers throughout Central Florida on a massive high-speed chase this past Wednesday, May 1st, that ended only when the authorities were able to funnel the fleeing driver across a set of stop sticks, deflating the tires on his car and rendering him immobile.
The reports from the authorities working within the two counties state that the event started close to 10:00 at night, after a trooper working with the Florida Highway Patrol attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a Lincoln Town Car that had exited State Road 44 in Sumter County and was attempting to access I-75 via the on-ramp. According to the trooper involved, the town car had been seen driving erratically and dangerously along State Road 44, thus alerting police to its presence.
The Florida Highway Patrol officer who initially attempted to make the traffic stop also reported that he could see the individual inside of the town car using the popular app FaceTime while he was driving. At this point, the officer had activated his lights and his siren.
After the driver of the town car merged onto I-95, they decided to fully throttle their vehicle in an attempt to escape from the police. With numerous law enforcement agents on their tail, the driver brought their vehicle up to speeds of 110 mph, weaving in and out of traffic as they did so, and putting all drivers along the highway at that time in tremendous danger. It is not commonly remarked upon that in instances such as these, the civilians on the road are placed in danger not only by the fleeing driver. In order to maintain their place behind the fleeing car, the pursuing officers were also required to travel at extremely high speeds, meaning that civilian drivers would need to remain extra vigilant even after the first car sped past them.
At the time of this writing it is not believed that anyone was injured as a result of either the town car driver’s excessive speed or that of the pursuing police officers. We do know that the fleeing person was stopped only after FHP members deployed stop sticks. It is not clear if the individual was injured as they were captured.
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.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.