My Sun Coast reports that the victim in a fatal multi-vehicle crash on U.S. 301 has been identified.
The crash occurred just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. 38-year old Nathan Taylor was driving a 2001 Ford van. As he approached 63rd Avenue East, he failed to see that traffic ahead of him was slowing down.
Taylor crashed into the rear of a 1997 Chevy 1500 that was being driven by 40-year-old Rosalinda Santana. The impact sent Santana’s vehicle into the rear of a 2000 Toyota, which then crashed into a 2010 Ford Mustang, which then hit a 2019 Dodge Ram.
40-year-old Santana was killed in the crash. Her passenger, 44-year-old Juanita Rosario suffered from serious injuries. The driver of the Toyota, 35-year-old Brittany Brochard, was also seriously injured in the crash. The drivers of the Mustang and the Ram both suffered from minor injuries, as did Taylor.
Taylor was issued a citation for reckless driving following an investigation.
Determining liability in a two-vehicle accident can be difficult enough. However, determining who is liable for damage to vehicles and injuries in a chain reaction crash can be even more daunting. In states that assign liability, it can mean that several people are liable to varying degrees. In typical multi-vehicle collisions, the lead driver may be distracted and not notice traffic slowing in front of them. This leads to several accidents, each vehicle running into the rear of the vehicle in front of them. This may make liability seem cut and dry, but if one of the other vehicles were following too closely or driving too fast for conditions, it can be a mess to figure out who is liable.