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3
Feb

Florida highway pile up on I-75 kills 11, injures 21

February 3, 2012

Identifying the dead and injured from Sunday morning’s multiple-vehicle accidents on Florida’s I-75 has taken several days.

Two local college students were killed in the Interstate 75 accidents. A 27-year-old woman, who was a graduate of the University of Florida and Sante Fe College (SFC), and was taking a dance class at SFC, and her boyfriend, a 26-year-old student, who listed his hometown as Richmond, Virginia, and was attending college in Gainesville.

Also killed was a 22-year-old man from Williston, who had just buried his infant son on Friday. He was returning from bowling with his brother before the accident occurred.

Five members of a Kennesaw, Georgia, church died in the crashes. These parishioners were among a contingent from a largely Brazilian congregation, who were returning home to Marietta from a conference in Orlando. A 43-year-old pastor and his 39-year-old wife, and their 17-year-old daughter were killed, along with the pastor’s 38-year-old brother, and his 41-year-old girlfriend.

Also killed were a man and his wife and daughter, who were traveling to a funeral in Sarasota.

A total of 21 patients were taken to hospitals, and seven people are still in the hospital as of today.

The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the accidents.

The Florida auto accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene send our condolences to the families who lost loved ones in these horrible accidents.

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1
Feb

Death toll rises in Gainesville accidents

February 1, 2012

The death toll rose to 11 on Tuesday from Sunday’s fiery chain collisions, reports The Gainesville Sun. In addition to the 10 already reported dead, an additional victim has been located in the wreckage.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported Tuesday evening that the Medical Examiner’s Office determined that another victim was in a Dodge pickup that was incinerated in the southbound lanes. The person’s identity is unknown.

Crashes in the southbound lanes involved six vehicles, including two semis, according to the FHP. One semi came to a stop in the right lane and another semi in the middle lane. A car then hit the back of the semi in the right lane, and an SUV hit the back of the car.

Then the Dodge truck hit the back of the semi in the middle lane, and a car hit the back of the Dodge. A post-crash fire destroyed all the vehicles except the semi cabs, which had been unhooked from the trailers.

Northbound crashes involved 10 vehicles, including two semis.

Alachua County Fire Rescue triaged the injured and then transported them to hospitals–if needed–based on their condition. Crews had to use electric cutting tools to be able to get some of the injured out of their cars.

Read more.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida truck accident?

The Florida truck accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

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30
Jan

10 people killed in related Florida accidents

January 30, 2012

In a series of accidents before dawn on Sunday near Gainesville, 10 people died and at least 18 were injured, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The accidents involving 12 cars and six or seven trucks occurred shortly before 4 a.m. on Interstate 75 after smoke from a marsh fire combined with fog to reduce visibility, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported.

Eighteen people were transported to Shands Hospital emergency room, six of them to a trauma center, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

“It’s tragic. It’s probably the worst one [accident] I’ve seen in 27 years,” said a FHP spokesman.

Investigators are still trying to determine how many separate collisions occurred on the interstate, which is a main artery through Florida.

There is no information yet on the ages or genders of the victims. Several people died in one car. In another crash, two cars and a tractor trailer caught fire and melted asphalt on the road.

Hours later, the interstate remained closed while the investigation continued and while an analysis of the road pavement was under way to determine whether it could be safely re-opened.

The marsh fire was in or near Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park south of Gainesville. Florida Forest Service investigators are trying to determine whether the fire was set intentionally.

Read more.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida auto accident?

The Florida auto accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

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27
Jan

Florida man killed in I-75 accident

January 27, 2012

In a morning crash on I-75 in Collier County today, a 58-year-old Port Charlotte man was killed, according to NBC News 2.

According to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), a 36-year-old male driver of Cape Coral fell asleep at the wheel of his 1997 Buick LeSabre.

As a result, he struck the back of a 2002 Nissan Sentra, driven by a 73-year-old woman of Port Charlotte.

The Nissan rotated counterclockwise through the southbound lanes of I-75. Then it came to rest in the median.

The LeSabre traveled into the west shoulder and up a grassy slope before hitting a barbed wire fence and coming to a stop.

The rear passenger of the Nissan, a 58-year-old man of Port Charlotte, was transported to North Collier Hospital, where he later passed away of his injuries.

Another passenger in the Nissan, a 48-year-old man, suffered minor injuries.

The FHP is still investigating the accident. No charges have yet been filed.

Read more.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida auto accident?

The Florida auto accident lawyers at Steinger, Iscoe & Greene may be able to help.

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25
Jan

Royal Caribbean conference held in Florida, addressed accident

January 25, 2012

Half of Royal Caribbean’s ship captains were in Florida last week for the company‘s annual Fleet Operations leadership conference, according to USA Today.

The international Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal Caribbean, one of the world’s largest cruise lines, is calling this month’s Costa Concordia accident “a defining moment in the history of the modern cruise industry.”

He said that the Florida conference gave them “an opportunity to underscore both our excellent 42-year safety record and more importantly to emphasize the imperative of keeping our record intact into the future.”

“We will need the results of the authorities’ investigations to truly understand and respond to all of the implications,” the CEO wrote on his blog. “But we do not need to wait for anyone or anything to underscore the preeminent role of safety in the daily life of every cruise ship and of the industry as a whole.

“We must review [our safety processes] again, especially recruiting, training, guest mustering, and evacuation. We have considered and prepared for very many scenarios. Now we need to broaden the range of scenarios even further.”

The Royal Caribbean CEO is the first top executive of a major line, other than Costa, to speak publicly about the Jan. 13 accident, which resulted in the deaths of at least 15 passengers.

Read more.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a boat accident?