Florida Man Crashes Into Airport Terminal
Florida man strikes again, this time at the baggage claim at the Sarasota-Bradenton airport where he crashed through a wall sending debris everywhere until his GMC pickup came to a stop at the main baggage terminal. The crash caused serious damage to the main terminal building, but no one besides the driver was hurt and he only suffered minor injuries. Forty-year-old Juan Monsivis does have a history of prior DUI arrests, but it’s unclear if the driver was under the influence at the time of the accident. It’s equally possible that the driver was suffering from some kind of medical episode.
Why Do People Drive into Buildings?
About a decade ago, newspapers were running hot on stories of “elderly people” driving into Starbucks and other types of restaurants or coffee shops. These folks were ostensibly not drunk at the time of the accident but may not have been fit to drive either. It tends to happen when an older person (or any person) mistakes the accelerator for the brake. Often, that’s why they keep accelerating even after they’ve struck the building and are terrifying customers.
Other times, this can happen because a driver has fallen asleep at the wheel. Sometimes this is caused by drugs or alcohol, other times, it can be caused by extreme fatigue, narcolepsy, or sleep apnea.
Whatever the reason, crashes into buildings are not as infrequent as many people believe. While age is a factor in many of these crashes, and Florida has a number of older residents who come here to escape northern climes, Florida may not lead the nation in such car on building accidents. This can have much to do with the design of our streets when compared to other places.
According to the most recent data we have, 24% of crashes involved retail stores while 23% involved commercial buildings. Another 19% involved restaurants. However, it seems like whenever you read a story in the newspaper, it involves an elderly driver and a Starbucks. Is Starbucks some sort of magnet for elderly drivers? Is this some form of protest movement? Do elderly people hate Starbucks?
We may never know the answer to that question. But the leading cause of these accidents is operator error or pedal error (26%). In other words, someone hit the accelerator when they mean to hit the brake. Even as their car is accelerating through the main window of a Starbucks (or some other location), the individual believes that hitting the accelerator will cause their car to slow down thus adding to the damage and chaos.
Meanwhile, 17% of all of these accidents involve a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It is unclear whether the individual mentioned above will be charged with DUI, but police will take a look at his fitness to operate a motor vehicle.
Talk to an Orlando DUI Attorney Today
Have you been charged with DUI in Orlando? If so, the Florida DUI defense attorneys at FL DUI Group can help defend you from the charges. Talk to us today to set up an appointment and we can begin preparing your defense immediately.
Resource:
clickorlando.com/news/local/2019/12/19/video-driver-slams-into-baggage-claim-area-at-florida-airport-report-says/
https://www.flduigroup.com/family-confronts-driver-who-killed-9-year-old/
