A fiery car accident took the life of a 38-year-old Port Richey woman on Nov. 11. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say that her car was rear-ended by another vehicle that they believe was traveling at speed of more than 100 mile per hour. The auto accident occurred on northbound U.S. 19 in New Port Richey at 3:17 a.m. The woman was pronounced dead about a half hour later at Trinity Medical Center.
The 21-year-old suspect in the accident was behind the wheel of a 2006 Mazda Miata Minor. As his vehicle approached Eastwood Lane, he came up behind the victim’s 2000 Kia Sephia, failed to slow down or avoid the car and collided with the back of it. The collision sent the Kia across the median until it stopped in the left-turn lane on the southbound side of the road and caught fire. Rescue workers managed to extinguish the fire, remove the victim wreckage and transport her to the hospital.
The suspect was uninjured in the accident. He was taken into custody on a charge of possession of marijuana and booked into Pasco County Jail. Troopers said that additional charges are pending the results of a toxicology test and a further investigation of the accident. The investigation and cleanup kept the southbound side of the highway closed for nearly five hours; the northbound lanes were closed for approximately six hours.
Even though authorities may press more criminal charges against the accused driver, the family could also choose to file a wrongful death claim. Because this accident may have been caused by the other driver’s negligence, a wrongful death lawsuit may restore some of the family’s financial stability by providing compensation for lost wages, final expenses and other damages that the accident caused.
Source: The Tampa Tribune, “Troopers: Pasco woman dies in U.S. 19 crash; other driver going 100+ mph”, November 11, 2013