Two Vehicle Accident on SR520
Two cars were involved in an accident on State Road 520 at the interchange with State Road 528. The accident happened at approximately 6:15 a.m. No further details have been reported about the crash.
From the photograph, there is a side impact to the van and a front impact to the Jeep. Considering the respective directions of travel on the roadway relative to each other, we can say that the Jeep was probably going straight (eastbound) SR 520 while the van was making a left hand turn to go onto SR 528. After the initial impact, the vehicles likely would have spun around to their final locations. That leads me to believe that the van probably turned in front of the Jeep. My sketch of the accident is below.
Under such circumstances (and how it is marked), the driver making a left hand turn must yield to oncoming traffic before making its left hand turn. Section 316.122, Florida Statutes clearly makes it the responsibility of the vehicle turning left to yield the right of way as below:
The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left within an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction...
If you or someone you know has been involved in a Polk County car accident, please contact a car accident attorney in Polk County, Florida for a free consultation.
UPDATE New information reported about this accident reveals that the above analysis of the accident was factually accurate. In addition, 72-year-old Linda Clouting was a passenger in the van and died from injuries suffered in the accident.
