Two Teens Hurt in an East Colonial Drive Crosswalk: What a Green Light Does and Does Not Decide in Florida
Orange County, Fla. · Published · By HOV Law
Two teenagers walking in a crosswalk on East Colonial Drive were struck by a turning SUV on Saturday evening, November 7, the Florida Highway Patrol says. According to troopers, the driver told them he had a green light. In Florida, a green light answers only part of the right-of-way question at a crosswalk, and the rest depends on facts the investigation has not yet made public.
What FHP Has Said So Far
Troopers were called around 6:45 p.m. to the intersection of East Colonial Drive (State Road 50) and Cricket Club in east Orange County, according to FOX 35 (opens in a new tab). The outlets describe the side street slightly differently: FOX 35 calls it Cricket Club Circle and WFTV (opens in a new tab) calls it Cricket Club Drive.
FHP's preliminary account, as reported by WFTV, is that a 2019 Toyota Highlander heading north on the side street approached Colonial Drive and began a left turn to go west while the two teens were walking north in the crosswalk. The driver told troopers the light was green. A 14-year-old girl was seriously injured and taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital, and a 16-year-old boy with minor injuries was taken to AdventHealth Waterford, WFTV reported. The driver was not hurt and stayed at the scene.
No charges or citations had been reported as of publication, and FHP says the crash remains under investigation. Neither outlet reported what the pedestrian signal showed. Nothing in this post is a statement about who caused the crash.
Green Means Go, With a Condition Attached
Florida's signal statute gives a driver facing a circular green light permission to go straight or turn. It also attaches a condition. Under § 316.075(1)(a)1. (opens in a new tab), vehicles turning right or left must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk at the time the signal is shown.
That makes a turning-vehicle crosswalk crash a two-sided question. The driver's green light is one fact. Whether the people in the crosswalk were there lawfully is another, and it turns on the signal they were facing. Section 316.130(1) (opens in a new tab) requires pedestrians to obey the traffic control devices that apply to them, and § 316.130(7)(a) requires a driver at a signalized intersection to stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian who has a permitted signal and is in the crosswalk on the driver's half of the road, or approaching so closely from the other half as to be in danger.
Running over both of those is a general duty in § 316.130(15): every driver must exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian, give warning when necessary, and take proper precaution upon seeing a child. Our guide to Florida crosswalk law and fault walks through how these rules interact. How they apply on Colonial Drive depends on signal timing, video and witness accounts that FHP has not released.
How Florida Splits Responsibility
Crosswalk cases are rarely all-or-nothing. Under § 768.81(2) (opens in a new tab), any share of fault assigned to the injured person reduces their damages by that percentage. Section 768.81(6) adds a cutoff: a person found more than 50 percent at fault for their own harm cannot recover damages at all in an ordinary negligence case.
That is why early statements, including a driver's account of the light, are a starting point rather than an answer. The comparative negligence guide shows how the percentages work in practice.
Coverage and Deadlines When the Injured Person Is a Minor
For a teenager hit while walking, medical bills usually start with a parent's auto policy. Section 627.736(4)(e) (opens in a new tab) has the owner's insurer pay personal injury protection benefits for a relative living in the household who is hurt while not in a vehicle, when the injury comes from physical contact with a motor vehicle. PIP pays up to $10,000 in medical and disability benefits, and medical benefits depend on initial care within 14 days. The 14-day deadline checker counts the days.
A claim beyond PIP belongs to the child, with parents acting for them. Under § 744.301(2) (opens in a new tab), parents as natural guardians can settle a minor's claim without a court appointment or bond only when the amounts received in total do not exceed $15,000. The general deadline for a negligence claim is two years under § 95.11(5)(a) (opens in a new tab), and the statute of limitations calculator gives a date for a specific crash.
If Your Family Is Dealing With a Crosswalk Crash
- Keep every medical record and bill, starting with the emergency visit, and follow up on injuries that seemed minor at first.
- Write down what each person remembers about the walk signal and the traffic light while it is fresh, and who else was at the corner.
- Ask nearby businesses about cameras quickly. Surveillance video is often recorded over within days, and traffic-signal timing records may also matter.
- Request the crash report. The Orlando crash report finder shows how FHP reports are requested.
- Report the crash to your household auto insurer for PIP, and hold off on recorded statements to the other driver's insurer until you understand your rights.
More detail is in what to do after a pedestrian accident in Florida, and Orlando's deadliest roads for pedestrians looks at the corridors, Colonial Drive among them, where these crashes happen most.
Crosswalk Right-of-Way: Common Questions
If a driver has a green light, do they have the right-of-way over pedestrians?
Not automatically. Under Fla. Stat. § 316.075(1)(a)1., a driver facing a circular green signal may go straight or turn, but vehicles turning right or left must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk at that moment. The word that matters is "lawfully": whether a pedestrian was crossing lawfully depends on the signals they faced, which is a fact investigators establish.
Do pedestrians in Florida have to follow walk signals?
Yes. Section 316.130(1) requires pedestrians to obey traffic control devices that apply to them. Section 316.130(7)(a) requires a driver at a signalized intersection to stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian who has a permitted signal and is in the crosswalk on the driver's half of the road, or approaching so closely from the other half as to be in danger.
Does Florida law expect drivers to take extra care around children and teenagers?
Section 316.130(15) requires every driver to exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian, to give warning when necessary, and to exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or obviously confused or incapacitated person. That duty applies regardless of what any signal shows.
What if both the driver and the pedestrian made mistakes?
Florida apportions fault. Under § 768.81(2), an injured person's own share of fault reduces their damages proportionately. Under § 768.81(6), a person found more than 50 percent at fault for their own harm recovers nothing. Fault is decided on evidence such as signal timing, video and witness accounts, not on early statements.
Whose insurance pays a teenager's medical bills after being hit while walking?
Usually a parent's auto policy first. Section 627.736(4)(e) has the owner's insurer pay personal injury protection benefits for a relative living in the same household who is hurt while not in a vehicle, when the injury is caused by physical contact with a motor vehicle. PIP medical benefits depend on initial care within 14 days of the crash under § 627.736(1)(a).
How long does a family have to bring a claim for an injured child?
The general deadline for a negligence claim in Florida is two years under § 95.11(5)(a). Parents can settle a minor's claim on their own only when the total does not exceed $15,000 under § 744.301(2); larger amounts go through guardianship procedures. A lawyer can confirm how the deadline applies to a particular child's claim.
Sources
- WFTV 9 — Two teenagers injured in Orange County SUV collision (opens in a new tab)
- FOX 35 Orlando — 2 teens struck by vehicle in Orange County, troopers say (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 316.075 (2026) — Traffic control signal devices (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 316.130 (2026) — Pedestrians; traffic regulations (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 768.81 (2026) — Comparative fault (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 627.736 (2026) — Required personal injury protection benefits (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 744.301 (2026) — Natural guardians (opens in a new tab)
- Fla. Stat. § 95.11 (2026) — Limitations other than for real property (opens in a new tab)
This post summarizes news reports and is general information about Florida law, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. HOV Law does not represent anyone involved in this crash, and nothing here is a statement about fault or liability.
Hurt While Walking in Central Florida?
If you've been hurt in a similar incident in Central Florida, speak with a Florida personal injury lawyer about your options. Consultations are free.