Orlando Man Killed After Being Thrown From Pickup Bed in Crash
Authorities within Seminole County are working to put together the sequence of events that led to an individual dying after being thrown from the bed of a pickup truck as it was traveling along State Road 417. At the time of this writing, reports from the Florida Highway Patrol indicated that the incident took place shortly after 2:00 on the morning of Wednesday, October 14th.
Shortly before the fatal auto accident took place, two individuals were traveling in a pickup truck down the road in question. Behind the wheel of this truck was a 79-year-old Orlando resident. The other individual, a 58-year-old Orlando resident, was not riding in the cab of the truck but was instead traveling in the back bed of the vehicle. As most people are already aware, beds on pickup trucks do not possess any safety features and are not supposed to be used for the transportation of human beings.
The pickup had been traveling down the southern lanes of State Road 417 for an unknown period of time when it entered Seminole County. At this time, an SUV, also traveling down the southern lanes of State Road 417, approached the rear of the pickup truck. The SUV was being driven by a 31-year-old woman from Orlando. The events that led the front of the SUV to strike the rear of the pickup remain under investigation, and at the time of this writing all we are certain on is that the SUV hit the pickup with enough force to cause the 58-year-old traveling in the bed of the pickup to be ejected from the vehicle.
The injuries that the passenger sustained when they were thrown from the vehicle proved to be impossible for medical teams to treat. The 58-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Both the 78-year-old driver of the pickup and the 31-year-old driver of the SUV sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash. Fortunately, both were also wearing seatbelts at the time, a fact which likely reduced the severity of their injuries.
While authorities within Seminole County conducted the preliminary investigation into the incident, the southern lanes of State Road 417 were closed to the public.
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.