Orange County Car Crash Suspect Pleads Guilty to Fatal T-bone Collision

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 19, 2021

In a surprising reversal from his previous stance, a 32-year-old man has now pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury for his direct involvement in a deadly Winter Park auto accident on New Year’s Eve in 2017 that claimed the lives of two local women and severely injured his passengers.

According to recently published court records in Orange County, 32-year-old Justin Fonner has finally come clean and admitted his connection to a fatal T-bone collision that occurred on December 31, 2017, in Winter Park, Florida. Incident reports from the responding officers with the Winter Park Police Department at the time of the crash state that Fonner was driving his BMW at a high rate of speed through a residential area in the eastern direction of Orange Avenue toward the street’s intersection with Westchester Avenue. “Let me show you what a real man’s car can do,” Fonner said as he proceeded to slam on the gas pedal and drive through the neighborhood reaching mind-blowing speeds of 100-120 mph, recalled one of his passengers.

Shortly after he started his dangerous joyride, a Toyota SUV carrying two young women was in the middle of backing out of a driveway when Fonner’s vehicle violently crashed into the side of the sport utility vehicle, killing Geena Brigitte Pabarue and Keisha Oyola Perales. Both of Fonner’s passengers sustained life-threatening injuries in the collision as well, including multiple broken bones and internal bleeding issues.

Although this case has been delayed many times because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, public Orange County documents indicate that Fonner is scheduled to face sentencing on September 21, 2021, however, it is currently unclear if he will remain in custody for the next month, or has since been released on bond.

For over forty-four years, Orange County auto accident attorney James O. Cunningham has been diligently and delicately representing the victims and families who have been severely injured or killed due to the negligence of another motorist on the road. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY to speak with an associate.

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.