Man and Woman Die in Separate, but Related Crashes on I-95 in Brevard

In the early morning hours of June 26, 2009, two individuals lost
their lives in separate car crashes on I-95 in Brevard. Orlando-based
attorney Tony Francis of the Francis Law Firm offers commentary and
insight.

Christine Marie Gritz, 32, of Palm Bay, was killed around 4:30 on
the morning of June 26, 2009. The driver of the vehicle in which Ms.
Gritz was a passenger, Itumus Mitchell, told crash investigators that
Gritz reached across him and interfered with his driving, which caused
him to lose control of his vehicle. Mitchell swerved into the
southbound lane barrier (just south of Fiske Boulevard) causing the
vehicle to overturn. Gritz was pronounced dead at the scene. “An
interesting question of liability arises here,” said Orlando-based
attorney Tony Francis, “Is the driver liable for failing to control his
vehicle, even though it was his passenger who apparently caused him to
lose control?”

A second crash occurred about two miles north of the first accident
scene a short time later according to the Florida Highway Patrol. A
tractor-trailer stalled in the traffic back-up from the first accident
was slammed into by a second tractor-trailer being operated by Cecil
Ray Couch, 63, of Georgia. Couch was killed in the accident, but the
driver of the stopped tractor- trailer suffered only minor injuries.

“While you wouldn’t expect to come upon a tractor-trailer stalled in
the middle of an interstate highway, a driver has to be alert and is
responsible for maintaining control of a vehicle. Mr. Couch might have
simply sneezed or took his eye off the scene in front of him for just
an instant. Unfortunately, that’s all it takes sometimes to turn the
routine of early morning travel into tragedy,” Francis explains.

Traffic was diverted to State Road 520 for 4 ½ hours until lanes
were reopened by the Florida Highway Patrol. “I can recall an incident
in the same general area where a similar series of accidents diverted
traffic for almost eight hours,” Francis recalls.

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