RSSOne Dead, Two Injured after Plane Crashes into Winter Park Home
Reports from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office are the earliest pieces of information we have regarding an aviation accident that happened within Polk County and left one individual dead and two others injured. At the time of this writing, we know that the incident happened at a residence within the city of Winter Haven and that it took place on Saturday, February 23rd.
The actual events of the crash are still somewhat murky. It appears that a small plane carrying a flight student and a 64-year-old flight instructor left the Gilbert Airport sometime in the morning or early afternoon of Saturday, flying a UC-1 Twin SeaBee airplane. It is not known if there were any inclement weather conditions reported in the area or if the flight instructor indicated in any way that there was something wrong with the aircraft, but sometime after taking off something occurred within the cockpit of the airplane and neither the student nor the flight instructor were able to regain control of the vessel.
The plane had made it an unknown distance from the Gilbert Airport when it began to fall from the sky. Pictures from the scene show a clear day, with only a few fluffy clouds dotting the landscape. The pictures also show a single-level home surrounded by a chain-link fence and a lawn. What is incongruous with the general serenity of the scene is the SeaBee plane that sticks up at a slight angle from the rear of the building.
The force of the collision caused the 64-year-old flight instructor to suffer from fatal injuries. The student, a resident of Bozeman, Montana, only suffered from some minor injuries in the incident. Inside the home at the time of the crash, a 17-year-old individual was inside of a bedroom. The crash into the home caused this person to suffer from injuries that required them to be transported to a nearby hospital. It is believed that they are currently recovering and are out of danger.
Also in the home at the time of the crash were three more children, aged 15, 11, and 2. While all three were in the front yard at the time, they each escaped injury.
Sources:
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.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.