Tampa Resident Killed During Multi-Vehicle Car Crash on Interstate 275

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 6, 2021

Authorities with the Florida Highway Patrol working within the Hillsborough County limits are currently working around the clock to determine the chain of events surrounding a fatal rear-end collision that claimed the life of one motorist early Saturday morning along Interstate 275 near Tampa.

According to preliminary findings from the responding officers with the Florida Highway Patrol, it was approximately 12:20 a.m. on September 4, 2021, when Hillsborough County dispatchers started to receive a rash of 9-1-1 calls regarding an auto accident with possible fatalities along I-275 just north of the I-4 interchange. Reports indicate that sometime around midnight, a 29-year-old woman from Clearwater was driving her van down the interstate when it sustained a yet-to-be-determined mechanical malfunction and broke down in the center lane.

Within a few minutes of this initial incident, a 79-year-old man from Tampa driving a motorized scooter and a 30-year-old man from Clearwater driving an SUV both pulled over to the side of the road to assist the disabled vehicle’s driver. It was while the two good samaritans were helping the Clearwater woman that another motorist on the interstate seemingly appeared out of nowhere. For reasons that are currently unknown, this 44-year-old unidentified driver of a sedan was unable to avoid a collision with the individuals working on the broken-down van and crashed their car into the SUV and scooter, presumably at a speed close to the posted legal limit for that particular stretch of highway. The force of impact from the accident shoved the scooter and sport utility vehicle into the malfunctioning van and all four vehicles finally came to a stop in the middle of I-275.

Hillsborough County emergency response teams and officers with the Florida Highway Patrol arrived at the scene of the accident and quickly discovered that the 79-year-old scooter driver had been killed in the collision. None of the other drivers sustained any injuries in the deadly multi-vehicle pileup.

It is unclear at this time if the 44-year-old driver of the sedan will face any legal charges or consequences stemming from their involvement in the fatal car crash, however, further details are expected to be released to the public as soon as the investigation concludes.

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.