US 17-92 Crash Kills 2 in Casselberry

By Kaiser Romanello, Accident & Injury Attorneys  |  Published: July 8, 2026  |  Last Updated: July 8, 2026

Just before noon on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, two innocent people were killed when a driver wanted for suspected drug trafficking sped away from a Seminole County traffic stop, reached speeds of more than 100 mph, and slammed into the side of their vehicle on US 17-92 in Casselberry. According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, deputies had attempted to stop the suspect in Sanford but chose not to pursue him on the ground for public safety reasons; the department’s aviation unit tracked the vehicle from the air until it crashed. The suspect was detained at the scene and taken to a hospital. The Casselberry Police Department is investigating the collision as a traffic homicide.

At Kaiser Romanello, we’ve represented Florida families through the unimaginable aftermath of exactly this kind of tragedy for decades. This article is for the families of the two people killed on US 17-92 — and for anyone who has lost a loved one in Florida to a driver fleeing law enforcement or otherwise engaged in reckless or intentional conduct. Everything below is educational, and none of it is a substitute for a conversation with a qualified attorney.

What We Know About the Casselberry Crash

According to reporting from FOX 35 Orlando and other Central Florida outlets, Seminole County deputies attempted a traffic stop in Sanford shortly before noon on Tuesday in connection with a drug trafficking investigation. When the driver refused to stop and fled, deputies made the decision not to engage in a ground pursuit — a decision often driven by department policy and the well-documented dangers of high-speed chases through populated areas. Instead, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s aviation unit tracked the fleeing vehicle from the air.

The aviation unit reported speeds in excess of 100 mph. Minutes later, the suspect’s vehicle slammed into the side of another car on US 17-92 in Casselberry. Both occupants of that second vehicle were killed at the scene. The suspect was detained on the ground and transported to a hospital. Casselberry Police are handling the traffic homicide investigation while the Sheriff’s Office pursues criminal charges connected to the drug trafficking investigation and the fatal crash itself.

“When someone runs from the police at 100 miles per hour and kills two innocent people, the criminal case is only half the story. The civil case is where the surviving family recovers the losses no prison sentence can undo.”

When an Innocent Driver Is Killed by a Fleeing Suspect

Some of the most heart-breaking cases we handle involve families who lost a loved one to a fleeing suspect, a drunk driver, or a driver engaged in some other reckless or intentional act. In many of these cases, the at-fault driver has little or no insurance, is going to prison, and looks — on paper — like a “judgment-proof” defendant. Families understandably ask whether a civil lawsuit is even worth pursuing.

The answer is almost always yes, and the reason is simple: Florida law provides several independent avenues of recovery beyond the criminal defendant’s own bank account. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on the victim’s own auto policy, the vehicle owner’s policy under Florida’s Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine, umbrella policies, and (in some cases) third-party defendants like a bar, an employer, or a rental company can all become sources of compensation. Punitive damages against the at-fault driver — and criminal restitution running parallel to the civil case — add further layers.

Florida’s Wrongful Death Act §§ 768.16–768.27

When a crash takes a life, the surviving family’s civil claim is brought under the Florida Wrongful Death Act (Florida Statutes §§ 768.16–768.27). A few points every family should understand:

• The lawsuit is filed by the personal representative of the decedent’s estate, on behalf of the surviving spouse, children, parents, and any blood or adoptive sibling dependent on the decedent for support or services.
• Recoverable damages can include: lost support and services from the date of injury through the decedent’s projected life expectancy; loss of companionship, protection, guidance, and instruction; mental pain and suffering for survivors; medical and funeral expenses paid by survivors or the estate; and net accumulations the estate would have received.
• The statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of death under Florida Statute § 95.11(4)(d).

The Wrongful Death Act is one of the most powerful tools in Florida law — but it is also one of the most technical, with strict rules on who has standing, what damages are available to each category of survivor, and how quickly claims must be filed and served.

Punitive Damages Under § 768.72 — Fleeing at 100+ mph

Under Florida Statute § 768.72, punitive damages can be awarded against a defendant whose conduct was grossly negligent or intentional. Punitive damages are designed to punish and deter — separate and apart from the compensatory damages designed to make a family whole.

Deliberately fleeing a lawful traffic stop, reaching speeds of more than 100 miles per hour on a public roadway, and running through Central Florida traffic in the middle of a Tuesday morning is exactly the kind of conduct Florida courts routinely find sufficient to send punitive damages to a jury. Under Florida Statute § 768.73, punitive damages are ordinarily capped at three times the compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is greater — but that cap is eliminated when the defendant’s wrongful conduct was motivated by unreasonable financial gain or specifically intended to harm the claimant. In fleeing-suspect cases, aggressive litigation is often warranted to test whether the higher tier of punitive exposure applies.

Criminal Case vs. Civil Wrongful Death Claim

Casselberry Police are investigating the crash as a traffic homicide, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is recommending criminal charges related to the drug trafficking investigation and the fleeing conduct. Families of the two people killed often ask us: Doesn’t the criminal case take care of everything?

It does not. Criminal proceedings and civil wrongful death actions are completely separate. The State of Florida prosecutes the criminal case on behalf of the public; the standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt; the outcome is a conviction and a prison sentence, not compensation for a grieving family. Restitution ordered as part of a criminal sentence is typically limited and often uncollectible.

The civil wrongful death case, by contrast, is filed by the personal representative on behalf of the survivors, uses the lower preponderance of the evidence standard, and seeks money damages for the losses the family has actually suffered. Importantly, if the criminal case results in a conviction, that conviction can often be used offensively in the civil case to establish the defendant’s liability without re-litigating what happened. The two proceedings can move in parallel, and the civil case does not have to wait for the criminal case to finish.

Beyond the Suspect: Other Potential Defendants

A careful investigation looks past the obvious defendant to every party whose conduct or resources may be relevant:

The Owner of the Vehicle the Suspect Was Driving

Florida’s Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine generally holds the owner of a motor vehicle liable when they knowingly entrust it to a driver who causes harm. If the fleeing suspect was driving someone else’s car, that owner — and the owner’s insurance — may be on the hook alongside the driver.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) Coverage

Fleeing suspects often have minimal or no auto liability insurance. In those cases, UM/UIM coverage on the deceased’s own auto policy — or on the policy of a resident relative — frequently becomes the primary source of recovery. Reviewing every policy in the household is one of the first things any competent wrongful death attorney does.

Umbrella and Excess Policies

Excess policies sit above primary auto coverage and can add hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars in available coverage. They are commonly missed by families who try to navigate the claim on their own.

Employers, Rental Companies, and Third Parties

If any driver was on the clock or driving a rental vehicle, additional insurance layers may apply. In drug-trafficking cases specifically, occasionally a co-conspirator or a person who supplied the vehicle may share civil exposure — every case is different.

Sovereign Immunity and Law Enforcement Liability

Some families understandably ask whether the Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the deaths because deputies were, in some sense, involved in the sequence of events. Under Florida Statute § 768.28, government entities are protected by sovereign immunity, and there are strict pre-suit notice requirements and dollar-amount caps on any recovery against them ($200,000 per person / $300,000 per incident, with limited legislative claims-bill exceptions).

Importantly, the facts here suggest deputies did not pursue on the ground — the aviation unit tracked from the air, which is a common tool used specifically to reduce the risk of high-speed pursuit deaths. That decision typically weakens any argument that law enforcement conduct itself caused the collision. Every case is fact-specific, though, and a full evaluation of the sequence and the department’s pursuit policy is warranted before any conclusion is drawn.

Florida’s 2-Year Filing Deadline

Under Florida Statute § 95.11(4)(d), a wrongful death action must generally be filed within two years of the date of death. If a government entity is a potential defendant, additional pre-suit notice requirements under § 768.28 apply and can effectively shorten the window even further. Two years feels like a long time; in practice it passes quickly through funerals, probate, grief, and the appointment of a personal representative. Evidence preservation — dashcam footage, the sheriff’s aviation-unit video, 911 audio, cell-phone records, vehicle black-box data, toxicology, and witness statements — needs to begin immediately.

What Families Should Do in the First 72 Hours

Kaiser Romanello — Central Florida Wrongful Death Attorneys

If your family lost a loved one in the July 7 Casselberry crash — or in any fatal crash on a Florida road caused by a fleeing suspect, a drunk driver, or a driver otherwise engaged in reckless or intentional conduct — contact a Florida wrongful death attorney for a free, confidential consultation. Kaiser Romanello handles serious car accident and wrongful death cases throughout the State of Florida — from Seminole, Orange, and Lake counties to South Florida and beyond. Meet our attorneys and learn why Florida families trust our firm with their most serious cases.

We work on a contingency fee basis — no charge unless and until we recover for you. Phone: 844-877-8679. Available 24/7. We come to you.

Schedule Your Free Case Review →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we still sue the driver if he’s going to prison?

Yes. Criminal and civil cases are entirely separate. A criminal conviction does not compensate a family for their loss — a civil wrongful death action does. In many cases, a criminal conviction can actually make the civil case easier by establishing liability under principles of collateral estoppel.

What if the fleeing driver has no insurance or is broke?

You may still recover through uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on your loved one’s own auto policy or on the policy of a resident relative. UM/UIM is often the single largest source of recovery in cases like this. Umbrella policies, the vehicle owner’s policy (under Florida’s Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine), and other third-party defendants may also be sources of compensation.

Is the Sheriff’s Office liable for the crash?

In this case, deputies chose not to pursue on the ground and instead tracked the vehicle from the air — a decision that typically weakens any argument that law-enforcement conduct caused the collision. Government entities are also protected by sovereign immunity under Florida Statute § 768.28, with damage caps and strict pre-suit notice requirements. Every case is fact-specific and warrants a full evaluation before drawing any conclusion.

What is the deadline to file a Florida wrongful death claim?

Generally two years from the date of death under Florida Statute § 95.11(4)(d). If a government entity is a potential defendant, additional pre-suit notice requirements under § 768.28 apply. Evidence preservation should begin immediately — long before that deadline.

How much does it cost to hire a Florida wrongful death lawyer?

Kaiser Romanello handles wrongful death cases on a contingency-fee basis. You pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you. The initial consultation is free and confidential, and we come to you.

This blog post is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. The facts described above are drawn from public news reports and law enforcement statements and remain subject to the Casselberry Police Department’s and Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing investigation. The alleged suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you have been injured or have lost a loved one in an accident, please contact a licensed Florida attorney to discuss the specific facts of your case.