Traffic was blocked for several hours on the afternoon of October 10, following a crash involving two vehicles in Marion County, according to local sources. Florida Highway Patrol responded along with Marion County fire officials around 3 p.m. The car accident involved a DHL delivery truck and another vehicle, and both drivers were injured.
The crash was described as severe, as medical and fire personnel worked for some time to extricate both drivers from the “mangled” vehicles. Apparently, the driver of the van lost control of his vehicle and crossed the center line, striking the other vehicle with enough force to run both vehicles off the road. It took a total of 22 minutes to free both drivers.
The 53-year-old female driver of the van was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, and her condition has reportedly not changed. It is unclear whether she was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision. The other driver, a 33-year-old man, was also taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released. No charges have been filed in association with this accident at this time.
If Florida authorities can determine what caused the van driver to lose control, she may be held criminally accountable for her part in the car accident. Regardless, the driver of the other vehicle will be entitled to file suit against her and possibly against DHL as a whole. While his injuries were not as severe as the other driver’s, the long-term effects of accident injuries can sometimes become more pronounced as time goes on.
Source: Ocala.com, “Two-vehicle crash injures drivers, stall traffic“, Austin L. Miller, Oct. 10, 2014