In 2017, Florida saw an alarming 402,385 auto accidents. This number averages out to be about 1,098 crashes per day. There was a total of 686,590 people injured in these accidents. Furthermore, 42.13% of these accidents resulted in an injury that needed medical attention and killed 3,116 people.
Florida is one of the few states that still maintains no-fault laws. This means that drivers must carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. This insurance is the first insurance that victims must turn to for payment of their injuries, but it often does not begin to cover the extent of their injuries. In cases where the injuries exceed the PIP coverage, the victims may then sue the at-fault driver or their insurance for compensation.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that a three-car accident on the Florida turnpike has left one person dead and several injured.
The crash occurred Monday evening at about 6:23 p.m. near mile marker 299 in Sumter County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred when a van from Pompano Beach occupied by three people failed to slow for traffic ahead. It crashed into the rear of another van carrying a woman and two children from Winter Haven.
A pickup truck driven by a 55-year-old man from Marietta, Georgia, was also hit by the second van after it was struck.
An 84-year-old female passenger in the first van was killed. The driver, a 64-year-old woman and another passenger, a 63-year-old man, sustained serious injuries.
The driver of the second van, a 64-year-old woman, and two juvenile passengers were also seriously injured.
The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.