Florida Drunk Driving Accident: Wild Ride Ends in Death and Disaster
In a tragic scene that could serve as a commercial for the dangers of drinking and driving, particularly among young adults who may have just recently reached the legal drinking age, a car plunged off an overpass on the Golden Glades Interchange in Miami-Dade County recently and killed two 21-year-olds who had been on a bar crawl up and down the length of South Florida from Stuart to Miami Beach. The car jumped a concrete barrier before falling 30 feet off the overpass and into traffic on Interstate 95 below. It then burst into flames and exploded, killing both occupants. This sad, sad tragedy is another example of a Florida drunk driving accident and why it is important to drive defensively and always encourage the young adults and college-aged drivers in your family and/or household to exercise restraint in drinking and then getting behind the wheel. In this instance, two young lives were cut short because they made poor decisions in getting behind the wheel after having been drinking excessively. Given the number and cost of rideshare apps available today, their fate could have been avoided by taking an Uber, Lyft or taxi home. It has never been easier not to drink and drive, yet young adults like the two young adults from Stuart killed in this tragic accident are needlessly putting themselves, and particularly other drivers, at risk by making the poor decision of drinking and driving.
The Recent Accident
According to a report from the Miami Herald on the accident, the young couple’s wild road trip from Stuart to Miami Beach featured stops at a minimum of three bars along the length of their journey and speeds topping 132 miles per hour.
Their night out began at a bar in Stuart at approximately 7 p.m. and continued on from there to another bar in Stuart before they decided to try the bright lights of Miami Beach. The female passenger was posting pictures and videos to her Instagram account the entire evening, including one video that showed her boyfriend and her screaming with glee as the car hit 132 mph posted to social media shortly after midnight on their way to South Beach on the McArthur Causeway. It was shortly after 2:30 a.m. when the young couple was heading north on the Golden Glades Interchange in northern Miami-Dade County that the car jumped the barrier. The car came to rest on I-95’s southbound lanes after falling approximately 30 feet from the overpass. A tow truck driver who was on the shoulder of I-95 taking a nap inside the rig of his truck told the police that he heard a boom “like a bomb going off” and saw the car fall onto the road and then burst into flames. The truck driver approached the vehicle in an attempt to assist the young couple, but the occupants of the vehicle were not moving, and it caught on fire before he could do anything to help the couple, both of whom were declared dead at the scene by first responders.
This Florida drunk driving accident was so destructive that it had effects that lasted well into the next day. The crash shut down southbound traffic on I-95 as well as ramps to other major roadways for the Friday morning commute. The shutdown of southbound I-95 at the Golden Glades Interchange stretched into the afternoon as crews descended on the highway to clear the wreck, remove the damaged sign and check the pavement. It took more than 11 hours after the crash before the Florida Highway Patrol reopened the southbound I-95 lanes and the ramps leading onto 441, the Palmetto and Florida’s Turnpike.
Contact the Experienced Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley
Drinking and driving is never a good idea, particularly when it takes place by young individuals who may not have as much experience behind the wheel as an older driver, even under normal circumstances where alcohol is not involved. Adding alcohol into the mix simply makes the situation that much worse. Whether it’s drinking and driving by another driver or simply another form of negligence by another driver that caused you to suffer injuries in a motor vehicle accident in Florida, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys of Schwed, Adams, & McGinley, P.A. Our experienced personal injury attorneys have more than 150 years of combined practice representing victims of all sorts of motor vehicle accidents, including Florida drunk driving accidents caused by motorists operating a car while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Therefore, if you, a family member or a loved one have been injured or killed as a result of another motorist’s negligent actions, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A. today at 877-694-6079 or contact@schwedlawfirm.com for a free consultation.