Drunk Driver Critically Injures Cyclist When Fleeing Crash Scene
Drunk driving in Florida is a scourge. It kills and injures hundreds of Floridians every year. The same is true of hit-and-run accidents, which occur with greater frequency in Florida than just about any other place in the United States. A drunk driver recently hit and critically injured a cyclist after fleeing another accident in which the drunk driver had just rear-ended a vehicle. This tragic incident combined two of the dangers that make Florida’s roads among the least safe in the country.
The Polk County Accident
According to a report from ABC Actions News regarding the crash, the drunk driver rear-ended another car around 6:00 p.m. in Davenport in Polk County. Police deputies who responded to the scene of the first crash were interviewed and told reporters that the driver left the scene of the first accident after the motorist he hit moved his vehicle into a gas station parking lot after being hit by the drunk driver. After leaving the scene of the first accident, the drunk driver then hit and critically injured a cyclist riding a bicycle on the shoulder of the road. The drunk driver then got out of his car and, according to witnesses interviewed at the scene, appeared to be unsteady, stumbling and drunk when he exited his vehicle after hitting the cyclist. Deputies on the scene also reported that the drunk driver was stumbling and incoherent when they spoke to him.
At first the drunk driver claimed to police that another car had rear-ended him, causing him to hit the cyclist. However, his vehicle did not show signs of having been hit by another car, and he could not identify the car that had hit him, what direction it went in or any other pertinent details. The cyclist suffered a brain bleed, collapsed lungs and two broken femurs as a result of the accident according to police on the scene. He is still in critical condition. The drunk driver, meanwhile, is facing criminal charges of leaving the scene of a crash and driving under the influence with serious bodily injury.
Drunk Driving and Hit-and-Run Accidents in Florida: Two Serious Problems That Are Only Getting Worse
Almost one in four accidents in Florida involves a hit-and-run driver, resulting in hundreds of fatalities every year. Florida consistently ranks tops among the states with the largest proportion of accidents involving hit-and-run drivers. Florida also experiences over 5000 drunk driving accidents on its roads every year, with hundreds of fatalities as a result of drunk drivers. The combination of drunk driving and hit-and-run accidents are a double team that collectively seriously endanger innocent motorists on the Sunshine State’s roads.
Contact the Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys of Schwed, Adams & McGinley
Although both fleeing the scene of an accident and drunk driving are criminal offenses in Florida, drivers nevertheless do both at often alarming rates. Unsafe behaviors like these on the road by motorists end up putting everyone else on the road at heightened risk of suffering serious personal injuries or even being killed. The personal injury attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley have more than 150 years of combined legal experience representing victims who have been injured in a variety of motor vehicle, truck and pedestrian accidents, including hit-and-run accidents where the driver at fault fled the scene or was driving drunk and caused the accident. If you or a loved one was a pedestrian or motorist injured by someone who was drinking and driving or a motorist who fled the scene of an accident in Florida, please call us today for a free consultation at (877) 694-6079 or email us at contact@schwedlawfirm.com.