On Monday, March 26, 2012, a fatal South Florida car accident occurred, claiming the life of a 23-year-old man. The deadly crash took place on Interstate 75 at approximately 5:20 p.m.

Jason Matthew Degg, of Sarasota, was traveling southbound in his 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse on I-75 when his car hit uneven pavement in a construction area, causing him to lose control of his car. The Florida Highway Patrol said that the vehicle hit a portion of uneven pavement, flew into the northbound median, hit a guardrail, spun, and came to a rest in the right northbound lane.

Degg evidently was wearing his seat belt but was able to get out of the car and walk away from the crash; however, he collapsed and was found dead in the woods nearby.  Troopers found him east of I-75 in the 2600 block of Rustic Road in Nokomis. The Florida Highway Patrol and Medical Examiner’s Office are looking into this death.

According to police, the section of the road near mile marker 197 was under construction. This widening of the highway has been an ongoing project that is expected to continue into the summer.

Another similar crash took place in 2009 due to a widening project that happened on I-75 in Collier County, resulting in the Florida Department of Transportation and its contractors being sued for one man’s death.

Sadly, this is only the latest tragedy for the Degg family; Jason Matthew Degg’s 13-year-old sister was murdered, and his father was involved in a fatal pickup truck crash.

Our Sarasota personal injury lawyers at Mallard Perez would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jason Matthew Degg during this very difficult time.