Fatal New Port Richey Accident

A New Port Richey, Florida crash may have been the result of racing on the roadways.  19-year-old Alex Vachon died following the accident.  Vachon had a passenger that is in critical condition but the identity has not been released.  A witness prior to the accident said that there were two guys in that car as they filled up at a gas station.  The accicent occurred at approximately 1:00 p.m. last Friday near Rowan Road.  The two guys were driving a black Mercury Marauder.  It is believed that some custom work was done on the Marauder to increase its power to 385 horsepower and 391 ft/lb of torque.  The accident likely occurred as a result of racing with an unidentified Infiniti G35.  Both vehicles were estimated to be going faster than 100 mph.  As the Marauder fishtailed and struck a metal guardrail, it went down an embankment and flew into the air clearing two 15-foot palm trees and landed at the entrance of Cypress Trail Apartments still rolling.  A city bus sign was thrown into the clubhouse roof at Cypress Trail.  The Infiniti G35 never stopped.  A picture of the accident is linked to the article above.

This is a very tragic accident because of the age of the victims involved and that it was preventable.  While racing on the streets is never necessary, the passenger of the vehicle who is in critical condition is paying a high price for this incident.  Even if the passenger was a thrill seeker and encouraged the racing incident, the passenger does not get to make the call of when to quit.  We will never know exactly what happened here but the passenger does have a claim for injuries against the driver.  The passenger is going to have a very significant medical bill and a lawsuit against the driver/racer and/or owner of the vehicle may be in order.  Since the driver passed away, the passenger's attorney would likely have to set up an estate to sue.  Very frequently, insurance companies will refuse to help set up an estate solely for the purpose of the true victim bringing a claim against it.  If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury, please contact a Central Florida personal injury lawyer to discuss the facts and circumstances of your case.  A consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys in Central Florida is free.  We handle selected cases on a statewide basis.