McKeel Golf Coach Injured in Accident
Dennis Brown was seriously injured in a car accident on September 5, 2016. He is the girls' golf coach at McKeel Academy in Lakeland, Florida. The accident happened at approximately 4:30 a.m. when Kenny Talley attempted to make a left hand turn from U.S. 98 onto Marcum Road from the southbound direction. At the same time, Dennis Brown was going straight through the intersection in the northbound direction. Talley was cited for the collision for a failure to yield. Brown was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center where three emergency surgeries were performed to prevent further internal bleeding. Brown was on medication due to pre-existing cardiac conditions that made it more difficult to stop blood loss.
This intersection is a large intersection designed to handle a large volume of traffic during peak times. However, at 4:30 a.m., very little traffic would have been on the road. The traffic signal to turn left going southbound is a turn arrow during the day and becomes a yield at night with very little traffic. This is why Talley was cited with failure to yield as opposed to running a red light. Regardless, this accident was clearly Talley's fault and his insurance company should settle this case for policy limits. The concern for Brown is that Talley did not have enough insurance to adequately cover the medical bills and provide much needed compensation for the injury. As I recommend to every client, having uninsured motorist coverage on your policy is essential to protecting your well being after an accident. Most employers do not have disability policies and are not required under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide more than 12 weeks of unpaid leave before finding a replacement for a position. While Social Security Disability (SSDI) is available for Brown, he is 64 years old and just months away from retirement benefits from Social Security and Medicare eligibility anyway. An accident such as this one can be very unfortunate as many people plan on and need to work past the age of 65 in order to meet their financial goals.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Lakeland, Florida, please contact a personal injury attorney in Lakeland, Florida for a free consultation. At Russo Law, our office is conveniently located on Lakeland Hills Boulevard directly across from Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. Our attorneys are available to make home and hospital visits in addition to conferences in our office.
