Severely Injured Skateboarder Recovering After Hit-and-Run Crash in Orlando

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on February 24, 2022

The family and friends of a 17-year-old Orlando teenager are breathing a sigh of relief this week as the comatose high schooler showed promising signs of recovery after suffering severe head injuries during a hit-and-run accident last month near East Colonial Drive.

According to collision reports filed by members of the Florida Highway Patrol on January 29, 2022, Timber Creek High School student Joshua Sims, who was 16-years-old when the incident occurred, was riding his skateboard en route to a nearby shopping plaza to meet up with a group of friends. As the young teen approached the intersection of Bonneville Drive and East Colonial Drive in Orlando, he was struck by a male driver behind the wheel of a blue Ford Focus who then proceeded to flee the scene of the accident.

Officers with the Orlando Police Department and troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol working within Orange County arrive at the crash site to find the young skateboarder suffering from multiple life-threatening ailments, including serious injuries to his head and face. Emergency medical teams immediately stabilized the teen for transport and he was taken to the Orlando Regional Medical Center where he remains in the intensive care unit. Although his condition was touch-and-go for nearly a month, after several surgeries, Sims is now showing impressive signs of improvement. “He’s been more aware and he’s actually been able to communicate using his fingers and he’s been opening his eyes,” his mother said in a recent interview.

Local investigative authorities were finally able to locate the blue Ford Focus connected to the collision after it was abandoned in a Circle K parking lot approximately 5 miles away from where the initial incident took place. The driver of the vehicle has yet to be found, however, the owner of the Focus has since been identified but has retained a lawyer and is said to be uncooperative.

A GoFundMe account was created by a relative in order to help the family with accruing medical costs and additional expenses.

Since 1977, Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has been representing the victims of hit-and-run accidents with the utmost care and compassion. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please contact us today 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.