Fatal Truck Accident Closes Highway 331

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on June 19, 2011

All lanes of Highway 331 were closed recently after a fatal truck accident. The accident occurred just north of the Clyde Wells Bridge near the intersection of LaGrange Road and Highway 331 around 4:30 p.m. one recent Friday, bringing heavy rush hour traffic to a complete halt. One accident witness said a dump truck crashed into a Ford Explorer. The Explorer’s driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and a passenger was taken to an area hospital for treatment for undisclosed injuries. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham would like to remind his readers that dump trucks and other heavy trucks outweigh passenger vehicles by tens of thousands of pounds. In the event of a collision, the occupants of smaller vehicles often suffer critical, even fatal, injuries that change the course of their lives forever.

One accident witness said that police had to reroute traffic along Black Creek Road to resolve the complete standstill caused by the accident.

“It’s a complete nightmare to get through there,” he said.

The site has a dangerous reputation as a 46-year-old DeFuniak Springs woman was killed at the same intersection last fall on November 3. Part of the problem is road design. Highway 331 narrows to one lane in each direction near the intersection with LaGrange Road, which is dangerous as motorists entering the area often have difficulty seeing when traffic has slowed in front of them. Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson said that this intersection has a bad reputation with his department.

“We have a lot of wrecks out there,” he said.

Over the last five years, at least six more people have been killed in auto accidents in the stretch of Highway 331 north of the Clyde Wells Bridge.

As previously stated, passenger cars and smaller trucks offer little protection in a collision with a heavy truck weighing 30,000 or more pounds. As a result, accident survivors often suffer catastrophic injuries that require weeks and hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical treatment. Many truck accident survivors often can no longer work and require expensive care at assisted living facilities or visiting nurse care in their homes. If you or a close family member has been injured in a trucking accident and you want to speak with an experienced Orlando personal injury attorney with a proven record of success, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation.

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.