Florida man charged with DUI manslaughter for fatal crash
June 09, 2015On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Monday, March 26, 2012.
A tragic accident in Florida last year has led to DUI manslaughter charges. A 45-year-old man was charged in relation to the death of his wife in a motorcycle accident last August, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The crash reportedly happened on Florida’s Turnpike. The man and his 53-year-old wife were riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle when he apparently struck the back of a pickup truck. They were thrown into the southbound lanes of the road due to the impact, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
She was pronounced dead after being rushed to Broward General Medical Center. He was injured as well. Neither was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The driver of the truck, meanwhile, was not injured. He was wearing a seatbelt.
Authorities did not release more information as to why the man is now charged with DUI manslaughter.
In general, motorcycle accident fatalities are on the decline in Florida after a startling upswing over the last decade. According to Ride Smart Florida, the number of motorcycle fatalities went from 159 in 1998 to 521 in 2006.
However, after new rider training requirements were introduced and Florida’s Motorcycle Safety Coalition was implemented, the numbers are dropping again. There were reportedly 376 fatalities in motorcycle accidents in 2009.
That year saw a 12.7 percent reduction in injuries, while the number of crashes decreased by 13.6 percent. That’s clearly an improvement, but hopefully the numbers will continue to decrease.
Source: Orlando Sentinel, “Man charged with DUI manslaughter in death of wife,” Wayne K. Roustan, March 23, 2012
