Boy Killed in Orlando Bicycle Accident Involving Tractor-Trailer

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on February 21, 2014

A boy riding his bike on the way to school was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer in the Orlando area’s most recent fatal bicycle accident. Witnesses report that the six-year-old was on his way to Meadow Woods Elementary School with his older brother and two friends about 8:10 a.m. when he was struck by a semi-truck hauling wooden roofing materials that was exiting State Road 417. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say that the driver is a 47-year-old Winter Haven man, who told them that he never saw the boy. He told them that he had stopped his rig just past a yield sign after making a right turn onto Landstar Blvd. because he “felt a bump.”

Troopers say that the victim and the other children were on a sidewalk parallel to Landstar Blvd., a busy four-lane road with a grassy median, less than half a mile from their school when the accident occurred. The victim’s brother told troopers that they rode their bikes to school every day, using the sidewalk along Landstar. He said that the boys would get off their bikes at the intersection of Landstar Boulevard and SR-417 and walk across the intersection before getting back on and riding the rest of the way to school. He told investigators that he never saw the tractor-trailer stop before turning right onto Landstar.

FHP Sgt. Kim Montes told reporters, "The witnesses we do have here on scene have not been able to provide specific enough information to give us a clear idea of what happened, so we’re trying to piece together by physical evidence where exactly the child went underneath the truck."

Montes said that the FHP investigation is ongoing, but other witnesses told troopers that they never saw the truck’s brake lights as he approached the yield sign and evidence at the scene suggests that the driver did not stop.

Paramedics with Orange County Fire Rescue rushed to the accident scene and tried to resuscitate the boy before taking him to Nemours Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.

Despite recent efforts to make central Florida roadways safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, this tragic accident shows that much remains to be done to protect non-motorized traffic. If you or a member of your family has been injured in a bicycle accident, you deserve experienced and effective legal representation by an Orlando personal injury attorney with a proven record of success. James O. Cunningham has been helping injured Floridians since 1977 and is one of the most respected Orlando bicycle accident lawyers in the area. If you would like to schedule a free consultation to learn more about your rights and legal options, call him today at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587).

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.