In the last several years, the focus on mental health has grown by leaps and bounds throughout the state and across the country. It can be all well and good to feel fine physically, but taking proper care of one’s emotional well-being has shown to be just as important.
Turning a blind eye towards this can result in fatal consequences to an individual, and to others around them. A poignantly chilling example of this took place on the morning of May 29 on Florida’s Turnpike, as a man appeared determined to end his life.
The 57-year-old was in the passenger seat of a 2016 Nissan Murano being driven by his 56-year-old wife. The man reportedly jerked the steering wheel near the 105th-mile marker south of the Bee Line Highway.
Somehow, his wife was able to regain control and stop the car. However, the man exited the car and ran into oncoming traffic. He was hit by a tractor-trailer.
The man was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
The couple also had their 23-year-old and 15-year-old daughters in the car with them as these terrifying events unfolded. They suffered minor injuries, as did their mother.
The tractor-trailer driver was not injured, according to available information.
The man’s actions after his family’s vehicle were stopped make it clear that he was in an extremely fragile headspace. It’s a sad situation, and anyone going through emotional distress is encouraged to speak with a professional immediately.
If anyone you know has been injured or killed in a car accident, please call Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath at (561) 655-1990 to examine your legal options.
