News

In this section of our website, the Daytona Beach attorneys at Johnson & Gilbert keep clients informed of automobile and motorcycle accidents that have occurred in Polk County, Orange County, Lake County, Putnam County, Flagler County, St. Johns County, Seminole County, Osceola County and all throughout Florida.

News Category: All CategoriesCar AccidentsMotorcycle AccidentsGeneral

Motorcycle Accidents

• Man Loses Life in Daytona Beach Motorcycle Accident
  Mar 22, 2012

  A Daytona Beach motorcycle accident involving two motorcycles claimed the life of a man after his bike was clipped by another. The incident took place at approximately 8:00 PM on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, along International Speedway Boulevard in Volusia County.
  
  According to reports, Thomas D. Castaldo, 57, of North Carolina, was traveling westbound on International Speedway Boulevard near Williamson Boulevard when he changed lanes and struck the front of another motorcycle. The other motorcyclist was thrown from his bike and ended up in the middle of the road.
  
  The victim has been identified as Bruce L. Wynne, 63, of Palm Coast. Rescue crews transported Mr. Wynne to Halifax Health Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition. Though he was wearing a helmet, he later lost his life due to injuries sustained in the wreck. Mr. Castaldo was able to control his motorcycle and was not injured in the crash.
  
  The fatal Daytona Beach motorcycle accident remains under investigation by local authorities. Investigators have indicated that alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash. It is unclear if any charges will be filed against Mr. Castaldo.
  
  This is a horrific event, and we extend our thoughts and condolences to Mr. Wynne’s family and friends as they continue to deal with their loss.
  

• Volusia County Motorcycle Accident Claims Life of Port Orange Man
  Mar 21, 2012

  A Volusia County motorcycle accident near Ormond Beach claimed the life of a Port Orange man after he was run over following his attempt to avoid crashing into another vehicle. The incident took place at approximately 7:00 AM on Friday morning, March 16, 2012, at U.S. 1 and Airport Road.
  
  According to Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes, a Lincoln Town Car was traveling northbound along U.S. 1 when the driver made a left turn onto Airport Road in front of the motorcycle. The motorcyclist fell and skidded after attempting to avoid the Town Car and was fatally run over by a third vehicle.
  
  “The motorcycle slid toward the car and the rider and the motorcycle separated,” Montes said. “We believe the car ran over the motorcycle and the motorcyclist.”
  
  The identity of the motorcyclist has yet to be released. The driver of the Lincoln Town Car has been identified as Lawrence Jacobson, 76, of Ormond Beach. No other injuries were reported.
  
  The fatal Volusia County motorcycle accident is still under investigation by local authorities. Investigators are waiting for the results of a blood test for Mr. Jacobson to determine if alcohol played a role in the crash.
  
  This is a terrible accident, and we extend our thoughts and condolences to the victim’s family and friends during this tragic time.
  

• Seminole County Deputy Sheriff Killed in Motorcycle Crash
  Jan 23, 2012

  Deputy Matt Miller, 53, was trying to catch up with a vehicle speeding westward on Maitland Boulevard when he struck a red Volkswagen Jetta at the intersection of Maitland and Gateway Drive. The Jetta was heading east on Maitland when the driver, Abel Romero Linfernal, 28, of Altamonte Springs, turned left at Gateway Drive into Miller’s path.
  The Jetta flipped and landed on its roof under the impact. The collision was fatal to Deputy Miller, who died at the scene. Linfernal was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
  Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger later declared that Miller had activated his lights and siren but was not in a high-speed pursuit. “Matt Miller had worked at the Sheriff’s Office for 24 years and was a consummate professional,” Eslinger said. “He was very highly skilled and loved working traffic and at the Sheriff’s Office,” he added.
  According to the Florida Highway Patrol investigating the Florida motorcycle crash, the accident occurred at 1.15 p.m. on Monday. According to a witness, the collision was like an explosion, very loud and sudden, without the sound of screeching tires.
  The attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert join the family, friends and colleagues of Deputy Matt Miller in their grief.
  

• Two Separate Florida Motorcycle Accidents Have Tragic Outcomes
  Jan 18, 2012

  Two bikers were involved in two separate Florida motorcycle crashes on Wednesday.
  In Brevard County, Justis Brewer, age 29, of Cocoa, was traveling eastbound at high speed on State Road 528 when he lost control of his motorcycle and, veering to the right, struck the guardrail on the south shoulder. Brewer was thrown off his bike and hit a barrier wall.
  Emergency crews took the injured motorcyclist to Holmes Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. According to Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes, Brewer was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The accident occurred at 2:25 a.m. near State Road 401 and shut down all eastbound traffic for several hours.
  Later on the same day, in Weirsdale, John E. Sandham attempted to pass a stopped vehicle on the right shoulder at the intersection of County Road 42 and County Road 25, when his 2001 Yamaha V-Star motorcycle struck a minivan. Sandham, aged 48, of Titusville, was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Sandham was wearing a helmet when he crashed.
  Both the minivan driver, James A. Cole, 46, and passenger Paula A. Adcock, 32, were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash and were unhurt. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened shortly before 5 p.m. and shut down the state roads for more than two hours.
  The motorcycle attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert wish John E. Sandham a speedy recovery and send the family and friends of Justis Brewer their most sincere condolences.
  

• Hit-and-Run Crash Ends With Resignation Of Seminole County Deputy
  Nov 09, 2011

  The accident occurred on September 11th, when Sgt. Frank Valentin, age 50, who was driving northbound on Lake Emma Road, suddenly slammed on the brakes to avoid a dog. Riding his motorcycle behind Valentin, Jeffrey Herrin rear-ended Valentin's unmarked police car, and was seriously injured in the crash. Herrin broke both his wrists and suffered injuries to the pelvis.
  
  Valentin failed to stop and was arrested some 15 minutes later by a trooper, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. James Clark said Valentin was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage and bodily injury. Valentin's pay was suspended during the investigation and he resigned last week.
  
  Hit-and-run crashes have become commonplace, and this creates terrible hardship for victims who have nowhere to turn to. Hit-and-run accidents mostly involve passenger cars striking pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. In these crashes, the damage to the passenger car is often light, allowing the car driver to flee, while the injuries to the victim are often serious or deadly.
  
  It is important that witnesses of hit-and-run accidents come forward with information that could lead to the arrest of the culprits.
  

• 4 Motorcyclists Killed in 2 Separate Volusia County Crashes
  Nov 06, 2011

  Al R. Hopkins was traveling eastward on Taylor Road when he decided to turn left into the Westport Square shopping plaza. His pickup truck moved into the path of a westbound motorcycle that crashed into its right side.
  
  The motorcyclists, Randall D. Allen, age 40, and his wife Laura J. Allen, age 44, were both thrown from the motorcycle and were pronounced dead on the scene. The accident occurred Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in Port Orange, near Williamson Boulevard. Both victims were from Apopka.
  
  Port Orange Assistant Police Chief Wayne Miller declared that Hopkins, of Port Orange, was charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter, DUI, DUI with property damage, resisting arrest without violence, refusal to submit to a breath test and refusal to sign and accept citation.
  
  The same day, State Troopers reported another bike crash on Interstate 4 near DeLand that killed Allison Sellers, 32, and Javier Remonsanzol, 34, both from Sanford.
  
  When their motorcycle was hit by an SUV at 4:30 p.m., the driver, Remonsanzol, fell on the roadway and was struck by several passing vehicles, while Sellers was thrown onto the shoulder, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes. The SUV failed to stop and ran away. A Ford Explorer that might have been the vehicle involved in the crash was later found broken down, but the woman in the vehicle has not been charged yet pending further investigation, Montes said.
  
  The attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert send their most sincere feelings of sympathy to the family and friends of the four victims of these tragic Florida motorcycle accidents.
  

• Lake County Civic Leader Pleads Guilty in DUI Manslaughter Case
  Oct 11, 2011

  Bruce Duncan, a former assistant public defender, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty in the sentencing hearing for the drunk-driving accident in Florida that killed Herbert Muller as he was riding his motorcycle in October 2009.
  
  Defense lawyers had called on friends and colleagues to testify about Duncan's long career as a civic leader and community activist, and his remorseful plea for forgiveness.
  
  Family, friends and fellow motorcyclists had gathered at the hearing to ask for justice for the death of Herbert Muller, a 61-year-old postal worker and Vietnam War veteran, of Mount Dora, who was killed when Duncan turned his pickup truck into the path of his motorcycle. Duncan had been drinking half a bottle of vodka and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.16, twice the legal limit.
  
  Duncan faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The prosecution is requesting 12-and-a-half, while the defense attorneys ask for four years in prison with 10 years probation.
  
  Duncan has vowed to start a scholarship in Muller's honor and to speak to groups about the evils of drinking and driving.
  
  Lake County Circuit Judge Michael Takac declared he needs more time before deciding on a sentence, which is now expected to be pronounced at the end of the month.
  

• Florida Motorcyclists To Claim Their Anger in Lake County Court
  Sep 08, 2011

  A DailyCommercial.com news post reports the anger of Florida's largest motorcycle rights group, ABATE, at the public officials lining up to speak on behalf of Bruce Duncan, who is charged with DUI manslaughter in an October 2009 crash that killed a 61-year-old motorcyclist, Herbert "Steve" Muller.
  
  Members of ABATE's Lake County chapter will turn out in great numbers on September 19th in Tavares, when former assistant public defender and assistant Lake County attorney Bruce Duncan will be sentenced.
  
  Having heard that Florida State Representative H. Marlene, Circuit Judges G. Richard Singletary and T. Michael Johnson, Lake-Sumter Community College President Dr. Charles Mojock, Tavares City Administrator John Drury, Lake EMS Executive Director Jim Judge and 14 other community leaders are planning to testify in defense of Duncan. The motorcyclists' rights group feels the time has come to stand up against a gross attempt to hamper the course of due justice.
  
  Abate's public relations trustee David Rich declared: "The pending testimony by these elected and appointed officials is nothing more than a total abuse of their positions. These government and community officials are put in their occupations to work in the best interests of taxpayers, not to defend the actions of a personal friend that got drunk, made the wrong decision to drive his truck, and allegedly caused a crash that killed a biker."
  
  Duncan reportedly turned his pickup into Muller's path while driving home from a Florida Gators football game. He had a half-empty bottle of vodka in his truck and a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16, twice the legal limit.
  

• Motorcyclist Dies In Crash Near Ormond Beach
  Jul 15, 2011

  Robert Steven O'Neill, aged 24, was approaching the L.B. Knox drawbridge on High Bridge Road, near John Anderson Road north of Ormond Beach. The drawbridge signals were activated, but O'Neill, attempting to stop, lost control of his 2004 Kawasaki.
  
  Falling from the bike, O'Neill landed on the roadway and was pronounced dead at the scene, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
  
  This tragic accident reminds all bikers that speed and inexperience are the first cause of motorcycle crashes in Florida.
  
  Far too many motorcycle accidents are single-vehicle crashes, indicating a loss of control by the biker. Speed and inexperience are linked, obviously, because an experienced, well-trained motorcyclist is capable of riding at higher speeds than the novice biker. Experience and training also bring along prudence and the capacity for immediately adjusting speed to potential obstacles.
  
  Every day, there are reports in Florida of bikers skidding out of a curve, being unable to avoid a sudden obstacle, sliding on a wet surface or rear-ending a stopping vehicle at an intersection.
  
  Motorcycle riding is not for everyone, and is inherently dangerous because bikers are vulnerable. The first thing every biker should do is training. The second is to buy adequate protective gear. The third is to ride defensively. The fourth is to enjoy the ride.
  

• Motorcyclist Killed In Daytona Beach Car Wreck.
  Jun 18, 2011

  The accident occurred Sunday afternoon, when William Lee Hughes, aged 54, of Port Orange, was riding north on his motorcycle on Tomoka Farms Road. Crossing the intersection with International Speedway Boulevard, Hughes's motorcycle struck a westbound car allegedly running the traffic light at International Speedway Boulevard. According to a report by Examiner.com, the motorcycle hit the left-front fender of the car, driven by Lakecia S. Harris, aged 31, of Deland, and Hughes was thrown from his bike and suffered fatal injuries. Harris received minor injuries.
  
  Sgt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol says alcohol was not a factor in the motorcycle accident. The crash closed west-bound International Speedway Boulevard at Tomoka Farms Road for several hours while troopers conducted their investigation. Charges are pending.
  
  The motorcycle accident attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert send their most sincere condolences to the family and friends of William Lee Hughes.
  
  Once again, a tragic accident shows how vulnerable bikers are. They are vulnerable to the mistakes of others, or to their own mistakes, with a terrible price to pay. It would seem like much too often, other drivers simply do not see motorcyclists. They see trucks and cars, either big or brightly colored, but motorcycles escape their attention. As motorcycle fans, the attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert constantly remind Florida motorcyclists to be extremely careful, wary of other vehicles at intersections, and to wear adequate protective gear at all times.
  

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