18-Year Old “Beauty Queen” Philanthropist Dies In Crash With Tractor-Trailer

In February 2025, an 18-year old woman known for her philanthropic activity was killed in a crash with a tractor-trailer in Santa Rosa County. The woman’s car struck a tractor-trailer head-on while traveling on Highway 4, and while the tractor-trailer driver only suffered minor injuries, the young woman was sadly killed in the impact. When someone loses their life in this type of tragic accident, it is understandable to want closure or even justice – but Florida’s laws are strict about who can recover monetarily.

Four Factors For Negligence

Not every tractor-trailer accident on Florida roads is the result of negligence. Sometimes, outside factors like weather or a defect in someone’s car or truck can play a role in causing an accident. However, in an accident case where negligence is suspected, an injured plaintiff (or a deceased person’s surviving family) must establish four different criteria in order to recover money damages. They are:

• The existence of a duty to exercise reasonable care toward the plaintiff. In Florida, all road users bear a duty to exercise reasonable care toward all other road users;
• A breach of that duty of care;
• Tangible harm being done to the plaintiff; and
• A showing that the defendant’s actions (or lack thereof) led directly to the plaintiff’s injuries, with no other cause involved.

These requirements are mirrored in Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, which is the law governing civil recovery after a person’s death due to alleged negligence. The only major deviation is that it is the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate who files a wrongful death claim against the defendant – in this case, likely the tractor-trailer driver or their employer (or both).

Comparative Fault

Even if you have shown that a tractor-trailer driver was negligent in causing your injuries, there is one more factor that must be considered which can change the entire outcome of a case. Florida law calls it comparative fault or comparative negligence, and it deals with whether or not the injured plaintiff played a role in causing their own injuries. If it can be shown that they bear some percentage of fault, a plaintiff’s recovery will be reduced by that much. If the plaintiff is more than 50 percent at fault, they may not recover money damages.

For example, the young philanthropist’s vehicle struck the tractor-trailer head-on, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. If this is the case, it is reasonable to argue that she may have contributed to her own injuries (though not guaranteed to be true). If a jury were to agree, she or her estate might still have been able to recover if her percentage of fault was ruled less than 50 percent. If the jury found her 51 percent or more at fault, by law, her estate could not recover at all.

Contact A Tampa Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney

It is always a tragedy to lose a young person too soon, particularly those who leave such a mark on the world as the young woman in this accident did. However, just because something is a tragedy does not necessarily mean that the surviving family can recover damages. A Tampa tractor-trailer accident attorney from the Rinaldo Law Group can offer compassionate and knowledgeable representation in an extremely difficult time for you and yours if you have lost a loved one in this manner. Call our office today at (813) 831-9999 to schedule a free consultation.

Source:

msn.com/en-us/news/us/beacon-of-light-florida-teen-pageant-queen-who-gave-teddy-bears-to-neglected-kids-dies-in-crash/ar-AA1zo1p8