Church Van Crashes on Florida Turnpike, 1 Dead, 16 Injured

A church van from Broward County, Florida crashed on the Florida Turnpike.  Paulette Noel, 68, died at the scene.  Noel was a passenger.  The driver and two passengers were seriously hurt.  A total of 16 people were injured in the crash.  The accident happened Saturday night near Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County, Florida as the church van was returning from Universal Studios.  The driver apparently lost control of the van.  The van flipped and hit a guard rail.  The church is located in Deerfield Beach, Florida but has not been identified at this time.

Virtually all accidents on the roadways are the result of negligence.  In Florida, passengers can sue both the driver of the vehicle and the owner of the vehicle.  Further, based on the report of being a single vehicle crash and having a total occupancy of 17 people including the driver in the vehicle, then this vehicle was presumably some sort of mini-bus and would have required a special class D driver license.  Otherwise, this vehicle could have been an overloaded 15 passenger van that would also be the basis for liability.  In either case, both the driver and owner would be responsible under Florida law and their insurance companies would be responsible for satisfying the damages/death to the passengers.  The driver does not have a claim against the owner.  At Moody Law, our Central Florida personal injury lawyers can advise you of your rights under the law or the rights of the survivors of the deceased.   Our Central Florida injury and accident lawyers handle a variety of cases on a statewide basis in addition to those in our local Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, Davenport, or Polk County, Florida communities.  Please contact one of our Central Florida personal injury lawyers for a free consultation.  WE do home and hospital visits for free as well.