Osceola Accidents in June Prove Fatal to St. Cloud Man and Girl

According to the Orlando Sentinel, a St. Cloud man died in a one-car crash near the intersection of Nova Road and Oak Shore Drive in Osceola County late Tuesday June 2. Steven Fox, 51, was driving a sports utility vehicle when he lost control and flipped at 8:57 p.m. (according to his vehicle's digital clock), Fox was traveling at better than 100 miles per hour and passing cars along Nova Road just prior to the accident.

Fox lost control, traveled toward Center Canal bridge, hit a sign followed by a guardrail. As he approached the bridge, his vehicle became airborne and began to roll. "I've never seen anything quite like it," said a witness who refused to be identified. "It rolled and rolled like it was a big toy." Fox was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the SUV and into the canal. "He was probably already deceased when he hit the water," said a spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol. Fox was taken to a hospital in St. Cloud where he was pronounced dead. Alcohol may have been involved in the accident.

A second Osceola accident involved a 14-year-old girl as the driver and one of her passengers in the car, a 12-year-old girl, who was fatally injured. The fatality was named Shauna O'Rourke, and she was a passenger in the car with two teen girls, a toddler, and her 25-year-old brother, Daniel O'Rourke. The driver of the car, 14-year-old Allison Sullivan, braked suddenly while driving on rural Absher Road east of St. Cloud at about 10:45 p.m. while traveling at an excessive rate of speed. The sudden braking caused the car to skid, and spin onto the shoulder where it struck a culvert and flew into the air. The car overturned, ejecting Shauna O'Rourke and her brother, who were the only occupants of the car not wearing seat belts.

Shauna O'Rourke was pronounced dead at Arnold Palmer Hospital. Daniel O'Rourke sustained serious injuries and was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Sullivan and the other two passengers in the car sustained minor injuries. All of the people in the car were from St. Cloud. Daniel O'Rourke has never had a driver's license. He was caught driving without a license in 2004. He also has been arrested several times, and found guilty of a drug charge earlier in 2009.

Tony Francis is an Orlando personal injury lawyer. His practice specializes in being an Orlando accident lawyer helping innocent victims get compensation for their losses. To learn more, visit Francislawgroup.com.