Two-Year-Old Girl Injured in Lake County Drunk Driving Accident

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 18, 2013

Florida Highway Patrol troopers have arrested a 27-year-old Lady Lake woman in connection with a drunk driving accident that injured a 2-year-old girl riding in the woman’s car. Troopers say the suspect faces numerous criminal charges, including DUI and causing serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of an accident, child neglect and other charges. The accident occurred on Grays Airport Road in Lady Lake around 9 p.m. one recent evening when the driver, who was traveling southbound in a Pontiac Grand Prix veered off the road, hit a telephone pole and mailbox and rolled over after striking a tree.

After her vehicle came to a rest on its wheels, troopers report that the suspect collided with a power-control box and narrowly missed another telephone pole while attempting to flee from the scene. They say that the force of the collisions caused the 2-year-old girl, who was strapped in a car seat in the front of the vehicle, to be "shifted to the center of the back seat from the force of the crash." The injured child was initially transported by ambulance to Ocala Regional Medical Center but the severity of her injuries warranted that she be airlifted to Shands Hospital in Gainesville. The accident report does not say whether or not the injured toddler is the daughter of the suspect.

Troopers also reported that the suspect was belligerent with emergency responders and cursed at them and passersby who attempted to help. Investigators found beer in the suspect’s car and reported that her blood-alcohol level was 0.285, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08. A toxicology test also revealed that the suspect had the tranquilizer benzodiazepine in her system at the time of the crash.

Have you been injured by a negligent driver under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs? If so, you may be able to seek damages from them and their insurance company to help pay medical bills, compensate you for pain and suffering and other damages. If you would like to speak with an Orlando personal injury attorney with a proven record of success helping injured clients receive the fair and just compensation they deserve, call James O. Cunningham today at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587) and schedule a free consultation. Mr. Cunningham handles each client’s case personally and has law offices throughout central Florida. Call him today to schedule a consultation at an office near you.

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.