Toddler Dies in Orange County Car Crash Caused by Accused Drunk Driver
A two-year-old visiting Florida with her family died Aug. 8 after an accident with an alleged drunk driver, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Aug. 9. Isabella Zepka and her family were visiting Orlando from Durham, N.C., to use a time-share and visit family. She was on her way home from dinner and Sea World on Wednesday when John Molnar, 36, ran a red light and hit the back of her father’s car. Isabella sustained serious internal injuries and a fractured skull; she was taken off life support Saturday. Her brother Alexander, 9, sustained a fractured skull from which he was expected to recover. Her father was not seriously injured.
According to the article, the Zepkas’ car was making a left turn when Molnar ran a red light from the oncoming lane. Officers measured his blood-alcohol concentration at 0.133% and 0.129% in two tests -- both well above Florida’s 0.08% legal limit. Officers also found a plastic bag full of cocaine under the driver’s seat of his car, resulting in an additional charge of drug possession. He told officers that he had had just one beer, the article said, but failed field sobriety tests. His driving record includes a license suspension for a 2008 DUI in New Jersey, as well as four speeding tickets and convictions for careless driving and failure to obey a traffic device, all since 2006.
My heart goes out to the family of this little girl. As a Hollywood car accident lawyer, I’m sorry to say that I regularly see accidents like these, in which alcohol played a deadly role. Drinking and driving may be illegal, but it happens every day in Florida and around the United States. According to 2008 accident statistics from the Florida Highway Patrol, drivers intoxicated by alcohol, drugs or both were responsible for 23.5% of all fatal accidents in the state -- nearly a quarter. This is an improvement over the numbers from four decades ago, but unfortunately, far too many drivers still underestimate the dangers of driving drunk. Until they take this threat seriously and modify their behaviors accordingly, our communities will continue to see senseless tragedies like this.
After a fatal car crash, money is far from the first thing on most people’s minds. But as time goes on, some families who lose a loved one to a wrongful death begin to realize that the accident and the unexpected death it caused leads to severe financial and practical problems. Medical treatment and funeral costs can easily reach six figures by themselves, and if the victim was a breadwinner, the family is suddenly without that income. At Cohn, Smith & Cohn, our Aventura auto accident attorneys help families recover those and other costs through legal claims. A Coral Springs car wreck lawsuit cannot reverse the effects of the accident, of course, but it can help families pay the steep costs of an accident, make ends meet and be fairly compensated for their injuries.
If you or a loved one was seriously hurt by a careless driver in Florida, Cohn, Smith & Cohn can tell you more about your legal options. To tell us about your case at a free, no-obligation consultation, please contact us online or call our main office in Pembroke Pines at (954) 431-8100.
