A pair of cases against local drivers spotlights the ongoing threat that road rage poses across Florida.
A Summerfield woman in early December was charged with DUI after an alleged road rage incident in Ocala, according to Villages-News.
A caller reportedly told police that the woman was yelling out of the window of her truck and could be armed. Cops who arrived on the scene spotted the woman’s GMC pickup truck stopped by the side of the road with smoke coming from under its hood. They said it appeared the 44-year-old had been drinking.
The woman reportedly told the police officers that she had gone for a drive after an argument with her boyfriend. Other drivers on the road tried to “race” her and had been “brake checking her,” the woman said.
Cops arrested the woman for DUI after she performed poorly on field sobriety exercises and declined to take a breathalyzer test, they said.
Less than a month earlier, a Sumter County man was convicted on a felony charge stemming from a 2022 road rage incident. Witnesses described an incident that began with the 45-year-old man driving erratically and cutting them off on the road near Center Hill and ended with him chasing them with a sword.
“Using a weapon in a manner that endangers lives and public safety will not be tolerated,” Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, whose office prosecuted the case, told Villages-News. “The jurors rejected the defendant’s testimony, weighed the evidence, and ultimately held him accountable for his reckless behavior and actions.”
Injured in a Road Rage Incident? Know Your Rights
Incidents like these are all too common in Florida and across the country, where aggressive driving is a leading cause of traffic accidents.
An alarming 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the last 30 days, according to a study from the American Automobile Association.
Anyone who is injured in a car accident in The Villages or elsewhere across Florida has the right to seek compensation from those responsible. The money damages typically available include compensation for medical bills and property damage. Additional compensation may also be available for pain and suffering.
In the tragic event that a person dies in a car crash in Florida, his or her loved ones can seek similar damages for wrongful death. There is no amount of money that can ever replace or bring back a family member who has died. Compensation can, however, help ease some of the financial stress that often comes with losing a loved one.
Speak with a Villages Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash in Florida, Villages accident lawyer Tim Babiarz can help.
Our firm is pleased to represent clients in the Villages and throughout the area, including in Ocala, Leesburg, Lady Lake, Wildwood, Summerfield, and beyond. Call (352) 205-7559 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a Villages accident lawyer.
