Manatee County Mail Carrier Killed During Deadly Collision with an SUV

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 21, 2021

Officials with the Bradenton Police Department are currently working to determine the exact cause of a car accident involving a mail truck and another motorist that claimed the life of a United States postal worker Monday afternoon along 7th Avenue West in Manatee County.

According to preliminary collision reports from the Bradenton Police Department, it was approximately 12:13 p.m. on September 20, 2021, when a 79-year-old Bradenton resident Phillip B. Simpson was driving a Mercedes SUV around a local neighborhood in close proximity to the 300 block of 7th Avenue West. For reasons that are currently unknown, the elderly driver failed to stop at a stop sign and crashed into a USPS vehicle that was parked on the side of the road, which caused the mail truck to flip over onto its side.

First responders and emergency medical teams with the Bradenton Police Department were immediately dispatched to the scene of the deadly collision and quickly discovered that the postal worker, 41-year-old Michael Silvestri of Bradenton, had sadly already passed away from the severe injuries he sustained in the accident.

It is unclear if the 79-year-old driver of the SUV was hurt during the collision, however, he was issued a citation for failing to stop for a stop sign. Investigative authorities with the BPD are waiting for the results of a toxicology test to determine whether or not the SUV’s driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the crash occurred. If these results come back as positive, it is quite possible that he could face additional legal consequences for his alleged role in the mail carrier’s death.

Detectives with the Bradenton Police Department are asking for the public’s assistance in this case. If you believe that you have relevant information pertaining to this fatal auto accident, please contact Officer Jacob Bjurholm at 941-932-9300 or submit an email to bpdtips@bradentonpd.com.

Since 1977, Florida personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has represented victims who have been seriously hurt or killed in auto accidents, pedestrian accidents, hit-and-run collisions, T-bone accidents, motorcycle accidents, and semi-truck crashes. For additional information or to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY.

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.