Man Dies after Crashing into Retention Pond near Tampa

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on March 23, 2019

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office have indicated that they believe alcohol played a major role in the death of a 24-year-old individual who was discovered inside of their car after it crashed into a retention pond in an accident close to Tampa.

It was close to 3:45 on the morning of Friday, March 15th, when the 24-year-old was driving their 1999 Honda Accord down the western lanes of Prince Street West after having turned off of Florida Avenue. These facts are known not because there were any witnesses at this time but because surveillance footage captured by cameras close to the scene showed exactly what happened.

Prince Street West terminates in a dead end. At this dead end is a gate that, at the time of this incident, was closed and locked. For reasons that are not clear, as the 24-year-old reached the end of Prince Street West and the locked gate, they did not stop their car. Instead, they drove through the gate. It is not known how much further after the gate lies the retention pond, but after plowing through the locked gate, the driver of the Accord did not stop until they reached it. Then they crashed into the pond.

The car and the driver remained there for almost 8 hours, when they were discovered by an individual whose home neighbors the property holding the retention pond. This individual, who was not named in the initial report, called 9-1-1 when they noticed the Accord’s back end poking up out of the water. Shortly afterwards, a team that included emergency divers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reached the location. The driver of the Accord was still in the vehicle at the time. They were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. It is not known if they were killed by the impact or if they drowned after failing to escape from the vehicle.

The Sheriff’s deputies obtained surveillance footage described above and began to piece together the events of the accident. Due to their preliminary investigative efforts, the deputies have indicated that they believe alcohol played a major role in the incident.

Sources:

• DRIVER FOUND DEAD IN CAR IN RETENTION POND

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.