Multi-Vehicle Crash in Lakeland Kills Three Teens

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 3, 2023

Three teenagers suffered fatal injuries Wednesday night during a multi-vehicle collision on U.S. 98 North in Polk County, according to preliminary reports from the Lakeland Police Department.

It was close to 10:30 p.m. on August 2, 2023, when a 16-year-old girl was driving a 2012 Nissan Versa at a high rate of speed in the northbound direction of U.S. 98 North. Also in the vehicle was a 19-year-old male and a 16-year-old boy in the front and back seats, respectively. As the trio of teens approached the front of the Northtowne Square Shopping Center in Lakeland, their Nissan Versa slammed into a 2006 Lincoln Mark LT pickup truck that was attempting to turn left from the southbound direction of the highway into the shopping plaza.

Both vehicles spun out of control along the roadway as a result of the collision, with the Nissan Versa coming to a complete stop across the entrance/exit to the retail center. The pickup truck, however, crashed into a third vehicle – a Toyota Corolla – that was trying to leave the Northtowne Square Shopping Center at the time.

Several Polk County emergency teams and officers with the Lakeland Police Department were dispatched to the scene of the three-vehicle accident. Upon their arrival, they discovered that all three teenagers were unresponsive. The 16-year-old female was removed from the Nissan Versa and transported to Lakeland Regional Health where she later died. The two passengers from that vehicle were also fatally injured and passed away at the crash site.

The 35-year-old male driver of the Toyota Corolla and the 42-year-old male driver of the Lincoln Mark LT sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

If you have any information regarding the chain-of-events leading up to this terrible car accident, please contact Traffic Crash Investigator Officer Tyler Anderson at tyler.anderson@lakelandgov.net.

Since 1977, Lakeland wrongful death attorney James O. Cunningham has been compassionately representing families who have lost a loved one during a fatal traffic accident. If you would like additional information, please fill out a quick & easy contact form on our website. To schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please call our office directly 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.