Truck Driver Suffers Medical Episode, Crashes into Orlando Retention Pond

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on March 29, 2018

During rush hour on Friday, March 30th, a 56-year-old individual driving a large truck down Interstate 4 in Orlando suffered what is being referred to as a medical episode. While the precise nature of this episode is not clear, we do know that the man was rendered unconscious and therefore unable to continue piloting his vehicle. The truck and the driver then departed from the roadway, down the shoulder, and into a retention pond. The report from the Florida Highway Patrol indicated that all of this happened close to 7:40 in the morning, around the 100 mile marker of I-4.

It is not clear if any of the witnesses to the crash called 9-1-1. Instead, it seems that several of those who saw the crash occur stopped their own cars and ran to the pond. Then, these brave and caring people jumped into the water, swam to the truck, and retrieved the still unconscious truck driver.

At some point while all of this was taking place, a state trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol, Roberto Ortiz, passed by the area and saw the truck in the water. Trooper Ortiz called in the emergency and soon there were teams of emergency response vehicles and personnel around the area helping in the rescue and recovery of the man and his truck.

In the ensuing period of time, the man was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital. The full extent of his injuries was not included in the report, but we do know that he is considered to be in stable condition at this time.

The individuals who selflessly leapt into the water to save the unconscious man were also injured in the incident, but it is believed that they were able to receive treatment at the scene of the crash and did not require transportation to a hospital in order to undergo more comprehensive medical attention.

Florida Highway Patrol members did not include any other information in their report, and it is believed that there is currently an investigation underway into the reasons behind the incident. One of the primary focuses of the investigation will be into what caused the medical episode experienced by the driver of the truck.

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.