Truck Hits Student Near High School

Quashan Williams was struck by a truck near his high school on Friday morning at approximately 7:00 a.m.  Williams is 16 years old and was flown to Bayfront Medical Center with serious injuries.  Williams was crossing State Road 580 going to school when he was struck by a Ford F-150.  Conditions were dark.  Reports indicate that Williams was wearing dark colored clothing.  The driver of the F-150 was Michael Melton, 42, of Safety Harbor, Florida.  Melton did not see Williams until the accident.  The accident is still under investigation.

Notwithstanding that a pedestrian is not in a crosswalk (as there is often not a crosswalk) at the time of the crash, drivers of motor vehicles, which are dangerous instrumentalities, have a superior duty to keep a proper lookout and to otherwise obey the traffic laws.  Even if a pedestrian or motorist is not where they necessarily belong in the roadway, the driver of a motor vehicle has a duty to anticipate such dangers in the roadway and avoid those dangers--aka defense driving.  By doing this, it is not about who is right or wrong but rather about what can be done to avoid injury or death from a car accident.  Personal injury attorneys from Moody Law can evaluate your case in the greater Central Florida area, including Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, Davenport, and Polk County, Florida.  Our personal injury attorneys handle cases on a statewide basis as needed.  A consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys is free.