Two Injured In High-Speed Rollover Crash

A teenager who sold a bag of fake marijuana to another person slammed into another car as he tried to flee the scene.

According to police and witnesses, the crash occurred near the intersection of Southeast Crosspoint and Southeast Floresta. A 20-year-old man paid a 15-year-old boy $50 for what he believed was marijuana. The “marijuana” turned out to be common grass. As the teenager sped away from the scene in a Camaro, he collided with a 22-year-old woman in a Mercedes. The force of the impact overturned the SUV, causing a serious crash that hospitalized both drivers.

The young man faces unspecified criminal and traffic charges.

First Party Liability in Florida Car Crash Cases

Since it affects both the likelihood of a crash and the severity of the resulting injuries, speed is a factor in about a third of the fatal vehicle wrecks in Port St. Lucie.

Speed exponentially increases stopping distance. So, speeding drivers have less time to react to hazards. At 30mph, most passenger cars travel about six car lengths in the time it takes their drivers to see a hazard, move their feet to the brake, apply the brake, and stop the vehicle. At 60mph, stopping distance triples to eighteen car lengths.

These are only average figures. A large truck’s stopping distance is much greater because these vehicles are much heavier. Adverse environmental conditions, such as wet roads, often affect stopping distance as well.

Speed also makes navigation difficult in Florida. A driver who speeds around a corner must often oversteer to turn the car. Many times, the driver then overcompensates to keep the car on the road, causing a loss of control.

These physical laws apply to injury severity as well. Newton’s Second Law states that velocity multiplies the force in a collision between any two objects. If one person tosses a cellphone at another person, the resulting injury is usually minimal. But if that same phone travels at 50mph, which is what happens in car crashes, it is essentially a high-speed missile.

Third Party Liability in Port St. Lucie Crashes

15-year-olds typically do not have driver’s licenses. Therefore, under the negligent entrustment rule, they are incompetent as a matter of law. This degree of incompetency also applies if the tortfeasor (negligent driver) had an invalid driver’s license or operated a vehicle in violation of a license restriction.

If Florida owners allow incompetent drivers to use their vehicles, the owners are partially responsible for damages. Typically, if there are multiple tortfeasors, the court apportions damages among them based on their percentage of fault.

Victims can also prove incompetence by circumstantial evidence. If the tortfeasor had a poor driving record, and the owner knew about that fact, liability may still attach.

If the Port St. Lucie victim sustained a serious injury, damages are not just limited to medical bills, property damage, and other economic losses. These victims are also entitled to compensation for their pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment in life, emotional distress, and other noneconomic damages.

Reach Out to Aggressive Lawyers

Car crashes often cause serious injuries.  For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Port St. Lucie, contact Eighmie Law Firm, P.A. We routinely handle matters throughout the Treasure Coast region.

Resource:

wptv.com/news/region-st-lucie-county/port-st-lucie/bogus-marijuana-drug-deal-ends-in-crash-with-injuries-port-st-lucie-police-say