Lakeland Soccer Player Killed After Car Crashes Into House

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on June 21, 2023

Authorities with the Lakeland Police Department are currently investigating the death of a 24-year-old student-athlete after he was killed Monday afternoon when an out-of-control vehicle crashed into a local residence near North Crystal Lake Drive.

Preliminary details from the deadly auto accident indicate that it was shortly before 4:15 p.m. on June 19, 2023, when 27-year-old Alexander Dalton Collins was driving a 2016 Dodge Durango in the southbound direction of Longfellow Boulevard in Lakeland. Reports state that as Collins approached the intersection of North Crystal Lake Drive and Longfellow Boulevard, he purportedly ran a stop sign, crashed into two street posts, then slammed into a house located at the 2100 block of North Crystal Lake Drive.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were dispatched to the scene of the accident, including officials with the Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Fire Rescue, and the Lakeland Fire Department. When they arrived and entered the residence, they discovered one person suffering from severe injuries. This victim, 24-year-old Yuri dos Santos Vasconcelos, received emergency life-saving medical treatment at the crash site, but sadly passed away a short time later. There were two other individuals inside the home when the collision occurred. They were unharmed.

The driver and passenger of the Dodge Durango were also uninjured. It is unclear at this time if Alexander Dalton Collins will face any legal consequences for his alleged role in the death of Yuri dos Santos Vasconcelos.

“He embodied everything that we strive to be as a club, because of his optimism and hunger, and to succeed in life. Probably the most altruistic player that I’ve ever worked with in my whole life,” said Lakeland United Football Club cofounder Tauan Salgado in a statement to the press.

A GoFundMe account has been created by the Lakeland United Football Club on behalf of the victim so he can be transported back to his home country of Brazil and properly laid to rest by his family.

Further investigations will eventually uncover the exact cause of this tragic car accident, however, several factors could have played a role in the events leading to the crash, including a sudden medical episode with the driver, a mechanical malfunction with the vehicle, or a dangerous issue with the road itself. Additional information is expected to be released to the public at the conclusion of the case.

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.