Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – On Wednesday, police confirmed that it was a 34-year-old who intentionally ran his brother over along Campbell Park, leading him to die from his wounds.

To recap, this crash occurred before 2:45 a.m. Monday at the 7th Avenue South and 12th Street South junction. ABC Action News said the suspect’s name is Tyree Gland, and the victim who passed away was 35-year-old Taiwan James Gland. St. Petersburg police said Tyree ran over Taiwan twice before Taiwan succumbed to fatal wounds at the scene. 

Tyree has yet to be found and was last seen driving away in a dark blue 2018 Cadillac ATS with the license plate number AT21AH. The passenger with Tyree at the time of the collision has been identified as 32-year-old Sebastian Williams, who is being “charged and arrested accessory after the fact to 1st-degree murder.” He was arrested Wednesday. 

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A man walking along Campbell Park died after he was struck by a driver purposefully, St. Petersburg Police revealed Monday. 

This crash happened before 2:45 a.m. at the 7th Avenue South and 12th Street South junction, FOX 13 News indicated. Police said the pedestrian — 35-year-old Taiwan James Gland — died at the scene. 

Gland was the father of an 18-year-old adult who passed away in a shooting along the Citrus Grove Apartments. 

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CLEARWATER, FL – Two people and a pilot lost their lives after a small plane crashed into a mobile home park complex, leading the plane to catch fire Thursday. 

Several fire responders arrived at the scene — which happened near U.S. Highway 19 — before 7:30 p.m., according to WTSP. The two people who lost their lives were inside the mobile home, along with several others, at the time of the collision. It is not exactly clear what led the pilot to crash into the home. This home, along with three others, were destroyed. 

One person from the mobile home was injured but declined medical treatment. 

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A 70-year-old woman passed away Wednesday after she was struck at an intersection in the Deniston Heights neighborhood by a vehicle whose driver fled the scene. 

The fatal collision happened after 6:30 p.m. at the 22nd Avenue North and 41st Street intersection, FOX 13 News reported. St. Petersburg Police said the victim was 70-year-old Karen Moorefield, who had dementia and was reported missing by her family less than an hour before. Though witnesses were performing CPR on her when police arrived, Moorefield succumbed to her wounds at the scene. 

Police are searching for the suspect, whom they believe was driving a 2013-2016 Cadillac SRX SUV, which sustained front-end damage in the crash. 

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A 58-year-old man had died, and a 23-year-old woman from Seminole was transported to a hospital after a crash in the Gandy area Wednesday. 

This collision happened on the eastbound lanes of Gandy Boulevard adjacent to San Fernando Boulevard, according to WTSP

Officials said the events of this crash unfolded when the 58-year-old man walked across Gandy and was struck by the woman from Seminole, operating a Nissan. 

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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL – A 44-year-old man operating a Chevy Equinox made a U-turn and collided with a teenage driver’s vehicle, leading the 17-year-old to die from his injuries Sunday. 

This collision happened before 2 a.m. on U.S. 41 near Villemarie Road, WFLA said. Florida Highway Patrol said the 44-year-old man was going south while the teenage motorist was going north. 

The teenager attempted to avoid the collision by pursuing “evasive action.” However, the attempt did not work, and his vehicle went into the grassy median, rotated, and the 17-year-old crashed into a ditch, resulting in his automobile rolling over numerous times before he struck many stationary vehicles at a car dealership. 

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TAMPA, FL – An 86-year-old man walking his bicycle on U.S. Highway 41 passed away after he was struck by an SUV driver who fled the scene Saturday. 

This collision happened before 6:45 p.m. south of Honeycrisp Court, according to ABC Action News. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Officials did not describe the suspect’s SUV or reveal their appearance. 

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EAST TAMPA, FL – A person was said to have driven at a high rate when they fatally struck a cyclist before fleeing the scene after 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. 

FOX 13 News said this collision happened adjacent to East 21st Avenue and North 19th Avenue. Home security footage revealed that upon getting hit, the bicycle came up in the air, and the cyclist landed on top of his bike. The hit-and-run suspect was said to have driven a light blue, gray, or possibly silver sedan before fleeing away. 

The cyclist succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene. 

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VENICE, FL – A driver traveled the wrong way on Englewood Road, causing the motorist to strike two other cars head-on, leading one to suffer fatal injuries. 

This collision occurred adjacent to Whispering Pines Circle before 9 p.m. Saturday, according to WFLA.  

Officials have not indicated if anyone else was hurt. They did, however, reveal they shut down southbound Englewood Road in order to clear the crash and for investigation. 

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mustang-1279781_1920-300x200The Florida Highway Patrol has confirmed that a Plant City man has been arrested on a vehicular homicide charge after a fatal crash Monday night. 

The 18-year-old Plant City man was apparently racing another driver when the accident happened on State Road 60 near Cassels Road. 

Reports indicate that the man was driving a yellow 2018 Ford Mustang around 10:25 p.m. when he smashed into a black 2015 Mercedes-Benz C250 which was driven by a 33-year-old man of North Lauderdale. 

An arrested report shows that the two were racing when the driver of the Merceded was killed. 

Both men were driving their cars east on the four lane highway when they began racing. The driver of the Mustang was speeding and changing lanes, and almost struck a third vehicle, according to reports. 

This is when he lost control of his car and barrelled into the Mercedes, causing both cars to be pushed onto the south shoulder. The Mustang hit an embankment, and ultimately flipped onto its roof. The Mercedes rolled until it stopped in the south shoulder. The man was killed upon impact, according to reports. 

The driver of the Mustang suffered serious injuries. He was arrested on Tuesday at Brandon Regional Hospital. An hour later he was booked into jail. Records show that at the time of the fatal collision he was out on pretrial release for being arrested on a DUI charge in June. 

Street racing is very dangerous and can ultimately result in death, as this case shows. While the driver that caused the accident is now facing criminal charges, it is important to point out that the family of the deceased victim can also file a wrongful death suit against the at-fault driver. A wrongful death lawsuit is different from a criminal suit as it allows the victim’s loved ones to seek financial compensation for their loss. Our Tampa Bay Wrongful Death Attorneys at Whittel & Melton are here to help those who have lost their loved ones pursue just compensation for the pain and suffering they have endured. 

In order to be successful in a wrongful death civil suit, it must be demonstrated that the at-fault person’s negligence caused the other person’s death. For this case purposes, drivers must follow the rules of the road. When they do not, this is a violation of the law, which points to negligence. 

Even in cases where the deceased is found to be partially at fault for the accident that caused their death, surviving family members may still be able to recover compensation as long as the other person is found to be more at fault. When this happens, the person’s fault will be deducted from the total amount of the financial award. 

Wrongful death damages can include loss of consortium (loss of benefits from the deceased), loss of future income, loss of companionship, funeral and burial expenses, and pain and suffering. 

Our Tampa Bay Wrongful Death Attorneys at Whittel & Melton can help you understand your legal rights following the death of a loved one from an accident that was not their fault. We can explain how these cases work and advise you on the best way to proceed. We do like to remind family members and loved ones that the time to act is now. Wrongful death cases do have a limited time frame placed on them, called a statute of limitations. In the state of Florida, the statute of limitations for filing a wrongful death lawsuit is two years from the date of death. Once the statute of limitations expires, you will not be able to recover financial damages from the at-fault party. 

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