Polk County Deputy In Two-Vehicle Crash

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on April 14, 2015

On April 1^st, 2015 a Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in a two-vehicle accident, leaving one person dead. It happened close to 6 p.m., on County Road 54, which is also known as Ronald Reagan Parkway.

The Deputy, twenty-nine year old Shastri Khan, was driving his county patrol unit heading west, when he came upon the intersection of Lake Wilson Road. He was driving in normal-mode, not emergency-mode, in which case the cruiser’s lights would be flashing and the sirens would be wailing. At that intersection was Davenport resident, Roy Aldrich, who is seventy years old. His wife, sixty-eight year old Susan Aldrich was in the passenger seat. He was driving a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser and was trying to turn north onto Lake Wilson Road. The two cars collided at the intersection. Witnesses say that the PT Cruiser was turning on a yellow light.

Khan has been a deputy since 2008, and he was taken to Heart of Florida Hospital, and was soon released with just minor injuries. Aldrich, however, sustained serious injuries and had to be taken by helicopter to the Lakeland Regional Health Center. His wife was pronounced dead at the scene.

The entire passenger side of the PT Cruiser was smashed in, and all the side and front airbags appeared to have deployed. The deputy’s car, sustained serious damage to the front of the vehicle, bending the hood in half, and crushing the engine.

The intersection was closed for several hours after the crash, and the crash is still being investigated by the traffic division of the Polk County Sheriff’s office. However, preliminary investigations reveal that both cars were obeying the yellow light, and the PT cruiser turned in front of the patrol car, violating its right of way. Neither driver is said to have been impaired, nor distracted. All occupants were wearing their seat belts at the time of the accident.

If you have been injured in a Florida auto accident, don’t hesitate to contact the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. today at 877-FL-INJURY for a free initial consultation.

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.