HERNANDO COUNTY, FL- According to abcactionnews.com, two teenagers were traveling in a 2001 Mustang on US-19 at around 3:33 p.m. on Wednesday were involved in a fatal crash with a pickup truck. The driver of the Mustang, Garret Herman, a 17-year-old from Brooksville, was trying to make a left turn on Country Road when he entered the path of the pickup truck. The truck, which was driven by a 60-year-old man, hit the passenger side of the Mustang.*
Seth Leathers, 16, from Weeki Wachee was in the passenger seat. Leathers was killed in the impact. Herman suffered serious injuries and is being treated at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He is reportedly in critical condition. The driver of the pickup truck did not suffer injuries.
The two teens involved were students from Weeki Wachee High School.
Left turns, although a routine part of driving, are a notoriously risky action. More than half of traffic accidents that occur at intersections involve a car attempting to make a left turn, and about half of all car accidents occur at intersections. Turning left requires drivers to make judgment calls about the speed and distance of other vehicles, sometimes while looking into headlights and around other vehicles. Many times, there are pedestrians to contend with at these intersections as well, which is also why left turns also increase the chances of a deadly pedestrian incident.
The perils of left turns are so well documented that some people suggest eliminating left turns completely. Taking a route that avoids left turns might take more time, but in some cases, the benefits of less time sitting idle, greater fuel efficiency and increased safety might make it worthwhile. Fortunately, vehicle-to-vehicle technology is becoming more advanced. In the near future, technology may prevent hundreds of thousands of crashes annually.
