Twenty-Year-Old Driver Arrested for Deadly Polk County T-Bone Crash

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 25, 2023

After five months of investigations and unanswered questions, authorities in Polk County were finally able to arrest a 20-year-old man for his alleged connection to a high-speed collision that claimed the life of a 53-year-old woman back in March.

According to case details from the initial auto accident, it was close to 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, when 20-year-old Babson Park resident Coleden Snowden was driving a Chevy Tahoe in the westbound direction of Scenic Highway at a high rate of speed.

Officials with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said that as Snowden approached a sharp hill along the highway near Waverly Road, he slammed into the side of a Kia being driven by 53-year-old Frostproof resident Patricia Robarts, who was turning onto Scenic Highway at the time.

The momentum from the collision was so forceful that the Kia was shoved off the roadway and burst into flames, trapping the 53-year-old driver. She did not survive her injuries and passed away at the scene of the accident. It is unclear whether or not Coleden Snowden remained at the crash site after the incident occurred.

Crash data retrieved from the Chevy’s airbag control module by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the brakes of the speeding vehicle were applied four seconds before the collision, reducing the Tahoe’s speed to 65 miles per hour at the time of impact.

Coleden Snowden was taken into custody earlier this week by local Polk County investigators and has been charged with felony vehicular manslaughter. “The tragic death of Ms. Robarts was completely avoidable, if only Coleden Snowden had obeyed the posted speed limit and not driven so recklessly. Ms. Robarts’ friends and family members are in our prayers,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd in a statement to the press.

Since 1977, Polk County auto accident lawyer James O. Cunningham has diligently represented families who have lost a loved one during hit-and-run accidents, high-speed collisions, drunk driver accidents, head-on collisions, rear-end car accidents, and distracted driving car accidents. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please contact our office 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.