Lake Alfred Woman Dies in Car Accident

A Lake Alfred woman was killed in a car accident on U.S. 92 in Polk County near Lynchburg Road on Tuesday.  The accident happened at approximately 1:45 p.m. as June M. Erickson, 76, of Lake Alfred tried to turn left onto U.S. 92.  She was hit by a truck pulling a trailer with a load of sand heading west on U.S. 92.  The truck was driven by Carlos J. Ramirez, 63, of Haines City, Florida.  Ramirez was pinned in his vehicle for more than an hour before rescuers freed him.  Ramirez was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.  Neither Erickson nor Ramirez wore a seatbelt.

There is a cause to this crash that cannot be determined from information currently available.  Perhaps this woman simply pulled out in front of the truck.  Perhaps the truck was speeding and the woman expected that the truck was obeying the law.  In either event, one driver or the other and perhaps both drivers have claims against one another.  If negligence of the truck driver caused the death of the woman, then a wrongful death case is in order.  If the negligence of the woman was the cause, then the truck driver has a claim against the woman's estate.  In the event that both are at fault to some degree, then this becomes a case of comparative negligence in which both drivers can make claims in accordance with a percentage of fault to be determined by a jury.  If you have been involved in a car accident in the Central Florida area or have lost a loved one in a car accident, please contact a Polk County car accident, wrongful death, or personal injury lawyer for a free consultation of your rights and responsibilities.  There should be a PIP/no-fault death benefit available to the woman's estate, the funeral home, or her next of kin.