Sarasota County Car Crash Kills Four Roadside Pedestrians on I-75

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on July 16, 2021

According to preliminary collision reports from the Florida Highway Patrol and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, four people suffered fatal injuries Thursday evening after they were struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle along Interstate 75 near Fruitville Road on the outskirts of the Sarasota city limits.

It was shortly before 10 p.m. on July 15, 2021, when officials with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol were first notified of a severe auto accident with potential fatalities on the shoulder of I-75. Crash details from the responding officers indicate that a pickup truck pulling a trailer had sustained a flat tire while driving down the busy interstate and was pulled over on the shoulder of the road at the time of the accident. After the blowout, seven occupants of the pickup truck exited the vehicle to assess the damage and were standing on the right-hand side of the road away from the heavy flow of traffic.

As the group of pedestrians worked to replace the pickup’s flat tire, a 34-year-old woman from Lakeland and her 32-year-old male passenger quickly approached the area from the southern direction in a sedan-style vehicle. For reasons that are currently unknown, the sedan’s driver swerved the vehicle off of the interstate and crashed into the innocent bystanders, killing four of them almost immediately. The three other individuals, ranging in age from 19-22, were uninjured in the deadly incident. The driver and passenger of the sedan were also unharmed in the collision.

Since the investigation for this tragic car crash is still in its early stages, no one has received legal ramifications for their involvement in the auto accident at the time of this writing. However, authorities with the Florida Highway Patrol and detectives with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work diligently to determine the exact cause of this fatal wreck.

For over forty-four years and counting, Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has been fighting for the rights of victims who have been seriously injured or killed in drunk driver accidents, hit-and-runs, rear-end car accidents, side-impact collisions, and wrong-way crashes. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY to schedule an appointment.

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.