Drunk driving danger looms on Florida highways
May 30, 2015On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.
With spring break on the horizon for many colleges, universities and high schools in Florida, it is becoming increasingly important to warn our readers about the dangers of drinking and driving. Indeed, most people know that driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is dangerous. But like so many who are injured in these accidents, they do so anyway; believing that it won’t happen to them.
It is this belief that makes the story of a fatal accident on a Tampa highway over the weekend that much more tragic. According to an ABC News.com report, four fraternity members from the University of South Florida were killed when their Hyundai Sonata was struck by another SUV. The driver of the SUV was also killed.
The Florida Highway Patrol reports that the SUV was travelling the wrong way on Interstate 275 in Tampa in the early hours of Sunday morning. Few details have been released about the crash, as it is still under investigation. However, authorities explained that the SUV was travelling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-275. They are not certain which exit ramp the driver entered or how long he was driving the wrong way before crashing into the Sonata.
Despite the continuing investigation, it is likely that several wrongful death lawsuits will be contemplated. A wrongful death action is when the surviving family members of a person killed seek compensation for the negligence that led to the person’s death. In essence, they can seek money damages for the person’s lost future wages, the pain and suffering they may have endured, as well as loss of companionship stemming from the person’s death.
Source: ABC News.com “5 killed in wrong-way crash in Southwest Florida,” Feb. 9, 2014
