Fatal Dual Hit-and-Run Incident in Orange County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 7, 2017

Sometime late on Wednesday night or early on Thursday morning, an accident took place in Orange County, along the stretch of Lake Pickett Road that nears the intersection with Wesleyan Boulevard. According to the Florida Highway Patrol and Florida State Troopers, the accident primarily concerned an unnamed 29-year-old man who was behind the wheel of a 2015 Toyota Corolla. Driving northward down Lake Pickett Road, the man suddenly left the asphalt and entered the road’s shoulder. At the time of this writing, the investigating Orange County authorities are not certain as to why the driver left the road, whether he lost control of the vehicle because of something outside the car or whether something within the cab itself distracted him to the point of danger.

What is certain is that the Toyota Corolla exited the roadway and began traveling directly towards a tree. The driver of the Toyota was unable to gain control of the vehicle in time and it struck the tree with enough force to cause the car to lift into the air and rotate. It is during this part of the events that the car’s driver was thrown from the vehicle and back onto the roadway. While the condition of the driver after he landed onto the road is not known, it is part of the official report that shortly after landing on the road another car drove by and, presumably not seeing the prone man, ran the driver of the Toyota over.

Based on the initial report, it seems clear that after running the man over the car did not stop but instead continued to drive away. In the time between when this car ran the man over and the emergency response vehicles arrived a second car came down Lake Pickett Road and also ran the man over. Like the first car, the second car did not stop or in any way attempt to make themselves known to the responding officers.

By the time the emergency response teams arrived, the injuries suffered by the driver of the Toyota were too great for treatment. He was pronounced dead shortly after being examined by the attending paramedics.

Currently, police with the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida State Troopers are searching for both of the drivers who hit the badly injured man and then left the scene.

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.