Bagen Law Blog

A fatal accident occurred Friday afternoon, leaving one dead and six injured.

The crash occurred on the southbound side of I-75 near the Micanopy exit, when a tractor trailer veered off of the interstate, hitting an RV that had pulled off the highway due to a flat tire.

An accident early in the morning on April 18th has caused Gainesville residents to collectively groan much more actively about Mondays this week. The unexpected major accident involving several vehicles stopped traffic on I-75 for much of the day, causing many work attendance delays and, more importantly, several injuries.

Getting behind the wheel is always a gamble. Even perfect drivers can get seriously injured in an accident through no fault of your own. A recent crash on I-75 in Gainesville demonstrates just how dangerous driving can be, even under safe conditions.

All  too frequently  we  learn  of  deaths  and  injuries  on  I­75  involving careless,  illegal  u­turns  through  the  median.  As  recently  as  May  19, 2014,  several  children  were  severely  injured  on  I­75  near  Ocala, Florida, when a young Florida Highway Patrol officer made a sudden, unexpected u­turn through the median when he was driving north on I­75. Although law enforcement officials have the authority to make a u­-turn  on  the Interstate,  this  tragic  accident  highlights  the  high risk  of performing such  a  maneuver  on  the  interstate. Tragically,  instead of completing the u­turn successfully, the 20 year old FHP Trooper struck a  guard rail  and then  hit the front  of  a  2014 Nissan Altima,  carrying several children ages 3, 5, and 7. The 2014 Altima then hit two  other southbound cars including a 2011 Mercedes, as well as a tractor trailer. Unfortunately, this chain reaction injured three children who had to be life­flighted to Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

As we drive up and down I-75 on our daily commutes, we see far too many accidents happening. Unfortunately, many of those accidents are ending in fatalities. In 2010, Florida’s stretch of the national interstate was voted as the 15th deadliest highway in the country. Gainesville and other central Florida drivers have been demanding for modifications to be made to I-75 and sadly, it has taken a countless amount of accident victims to really steer attention towards the issue. The imperative question on the minds of all of Florida’s I-75 drivers is … what is being done to solve the problems with I-75?