Over the years, Florida has seen a dramatic increase in the number of car accidents that are transpiring. In 2005, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that 268,605 crashes occurred in the state while in 2017, that number rose to 402,385. These accidents are not only responsible for claiming thousands of innocent lives but also injuring many others. Just a month ago, a Bunnell resident lost his life after his vehicle was hit head-on by a semi-truck.
The Palm Coast Observer was one source to report on the incident, sharing pertinent details that highlighted what happened. The source said that Carl Gandy, 56, was driving on State Road 40 and Warrensford Road at around 10:15 a.m. when his vehicle was struck from the front by a semi. The driver of the semi, who was later identified as 30-year-old Lester Jackson, of Trenton, was traveling in the opposite direction as Gandy when he veered into his lane. The two vehicles collided head-on.
The impact sent the semi off the road and into a tree. The Florida Highway Patrol says the driver then ran away from the scene. Unfortunately, Gandy died as a result of the impact and his passenger, Rena Gandy, 46, suffered minor injuries. Rena Gandy managed to escape the vehicle which had caught fire after the collision. After emergency medical personnel arrived, they transported Gandy to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach for treatment.
While the accident happened on January 25th, it wasn’t until the 27th when Jackson arrived at AdventHealth Daytona Beach at 3 a.m. seeking medical attention. He later told troopers that after the truck accident, he became disoriented and went into the woods. While investigators are looking into the accident to determine what factors contributed to it occurring, there have been no charges filed as of yet. However, in the State of Florida, it is illegal to leave the scene of a crash that resulted in property damage, personal injuries, or death. In this case, Jackson could be looking at being charged with a first-degree felony which carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years with an offender required to serve at least four years.
What should I do if I was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Daytona Beach, FL?
A driver crashed into your vehicle and fled the scene without stopping to exchange information or even to see if you had survived. Thankfully, you did, but you are now left with a damaged vehicle and some injuries that could potentially impact your life for months or even years. What should you do in this type of situation?
Seek Medical Help
The first thing you need to do is seek medical attention. This will help to rule out any underlying injuries or identify them. If you had to be transported to the hospital following the crash, be sure to keep a copy of your visit summary and any billing statements you received. It is very important for car crash victims to seek medical attention right away as not all injury symptoms show up right after a collision. And the last thing you want is for an injury to worsen simply because you did not know it existed.
Contact a Daytona Beach, FL Car Accident Lawyer
While some people think it is not necessary to contact a lawyer directly after a collision, that is actually when an attorney should be called—right after an accident. This is when the evidence is fresh and can be gathered to be used later on should you decide to file a claim or sue the driver if he/she is identified.
After contacting a lawyer at Pappas and Russell, P.A., you will then want to start writing down how often you are feeling pain, how intense it is, and how the injury is impacting your life. It is also important that you continue to undergo medical treatment as needed so that you can work toward recovering from your injuries.
What if the driver is not identified?
In the event the driver is not identified, our car accident law firm in Daytona Beach, FL can assist you with filing a claim with your insurer. Depending on the type of insurance coverage you purchased, you may be able to recover a significant amount from your own policy. Unfortunately, insurance carriers sometimes don’t want to pay the true value of a claim which is why you are going to want to have one of our skilled lawyers helping you with this.
In the event the driver is identified, we can discuss recovering compensation from their insurance policy or even taking it a step further and filing a personal injury lawsuit. Now, if you are ready to begin receiving legal help from a skilled Daytona Beach, FL car accident attorney, contact us at 386-254-2941.
Pappas and Russell, P.A. is located at:
213 Silver Beach Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL 32118
Phone: 386-254-2941
Website: www.pappasrussell.com
