One Man Dead, Others Injured in Car Accident
Last Wednesday, a car accident on Interstate 95 caused the death of one person and injured many others. The accident took place at around 3:00 p.m. between Hypoluxo and Lantana Roads and resulted in the highway’s northbound lanes being shut down for about four hours, at one point stretching all of the way back to Delray Beach. The Florida Highway Patrol recently released the names of those injured and killed in the accident.
According to the Highway Patrol, all of the people injured in the accident were driving in a 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV. The SUV was struck as it crossed into the lane of another vehicle. The SUV rolled over on the highway and ejected all of the people from the vehicle before bursting into flames. A third car then hit one of the people ejected from the SUV. That passenger was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
Peter Olivier, 20, of Boca Raton was declared dead at the scene of the accident. Six other people inside of the vehicle were all injured in the crash, ranging from 17 to 20 years old. The injured included the driver, Calvin Keith Jordan, 18, Kevin K. Jordan, 18, Tarrelle T. Moore, 19, Woody Fedna, 20, Lequentin Butler, 17 and Brandon Tre’von Grant, 20.
The drivers and passengers of the other vehicles were either unharmed or only suffered minor injuries in the crash. The Jordans, Ms. Moore, and Mr. Fedna were taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center with injuries ranging from serious to critical. Mr. Butler and Mr. Grant were taken to Delray Medical Center with only minor injuries.
Accidents Involving Overloaded Vehicles
This accident was the third in five weeks involving an overcrowded SUV on the state interstate system. Eight people were killed and another 10 were injured on March 30 when a van that was returning from a Palm Sunday church service in Fort Myers crashed on its way home. In addition, three members of a family died in an accident on April 4 on the Florida Turnpike near Palm City. Both of those accidents involved vehicles holding more people than their seatbelt capacity.
Vehicles that are overcrowded are more likely to be involved in accidents and cause greater injury to its passengers. The likelihood of an accident is greater because there are not enough safety belts for everyone inside the vehicle and because more people involved means that there is a greater chance of someone getting hurt. In addition, overcrowded cars and SUVs often lead to additional distractions for the driver that in turn can lead to serious accidents on the roads.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney Today
The experienced personal injury attorneys at Gary Roberts & Associates are prepared to help you recover compensation in the aftermath of an accident in West Palm Beach. We will do everything in our power to ensure your rights are protected throughout each step of your case. Contact us today.
