Multi-Vehicle Collision in Marion County Kills One and Injures Nine Others

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 26, 2022

One person was killed and nine others suffered various injuries this past Tuesday during an auto accident involving five vehicles along U.S. Highway 441 in Summerfield, according to reports from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Preliminary reports from the local Marion County authorities indicate that it was shortly after 3 p.m. on May 24, 2022, when a 53-year-old female driver from Ocala, her 36-year-old female passenger, and four children were traveling in a 2020 Chevrolet transit vehicle in the southern direction of U.S. Highway 441. As their van from the Cradling Hands Transport, Inc., which is typically used for the safe transportation of special needs passengers, approached the highway’s intersection with Southeast Sunset Harbor Road in Summerfield, a 31-year-old female driving a 2019 Dodge Journey entered the area from the eastern direction of SE Sunset Harbor Road. It is currently unclear which driver had the right-of-way, but both vehicles entered the intersection at the same time and the front of the van crashed into the Dodge Journey.

Immediately after the first collision occurred, the transport van spun around and crashed into a 2015 Subaru Outback and a 2007 Toyota Corolla that were being driven by a 64-year-old woman from Belleview woman and a 53-year-old man from Summerfield, respectively. The van finally came to a complete stop when it rolled over onto its side but not before the vehicle’s 36-year-old passenger was ejected. At the same time the second accident was taking place, the Dodge Journey crashed into a 40-year-old woman from Ocala who was driving a 2012 Nissan Altima.

Emergency response teams and officers with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene of the multi-vehicle pileup and soon after their arrival, they determined that the 36-year-old passenger sustained fatal injuries and had already passed away. Every other person who was in the van was quickly transported to nearby hospitals for further treatment of various injuries. The 53-year-old driver of the Toyota Corolla was also taken to a local hospital in serious condition. The other individuals involved in the accident suffered minor injuries but it is unknown whether they were treated at the scene or were driven to a medical facility.

This fatal auto accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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.