Nokomis man stands trial for accident that killed one, injured another. What to know
A Nokomis man is standing trial this week in connection with a car crash that left one man dead and another seriously injured in November 2021.
Florida Highway Patrol officials filed charges in mid-November 2021 alleging Robert Knowlton failed to stop at a red traffic light on Laurel Road while approaching the northbound Interstate 75 exit ramp and collided with two vehicles, according to previous reporting.
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What we know about the crashes
An FHP probable cause affidavit stated that a 2004 Chevy 2500 truck collided with the left side of a vehicle and the front of another car, causing the truck to spin and come to rest on the eastbound lane of Laurel Road.
The second vehicle also spun, stopping on the eastbound lane and grass median of the roadway. The third vehicle stopped on the northbound exit ramp of I-75, according to the reports.
Law enforcement said at the time that Knowlton fled on foot. A 52-year-old Nokomis man was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 63-year-old Miami man sustained serious injuries, according to previous reports.
The probable cause affidavit stated that law enforcement also spoke with another driver who said that Knowlton had rear-ended her car on the west side of the overpass on Laurel Road and then drove off right before colliding with the other two cars. The driver told law enforcement she saw Knowlton's truck hit the other two vehicles.
Knowlton, then 48, was arrested and charged with multiple felonies including vehicular homicide, leaving the scene with death, leaving the scene with serious injury, and driving while license revoked involving death.
What is Robert Knowlton charged with?
Knowlton is charged with leaving the scene of a crash; driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked and causing death; driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked causing serious bodily injury; leaving the scene of a crash with death; leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury; reckless driving causing serious bodily injury; vehicular homicide while leaving the scene of a crash and failure of defendant on bail to appear.
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Trial begins this week, what to expect
Knowlton is expected to appear in the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center in downtown Sarasota for a jury trial presided by Circuit Court Judge Dana Moss, according to court records.
According to Knowlton's defense counsel Tuesday morning during opening statements, Knowlton is expected to testify.
Some of the witnesses expected to testify during the trial, according to court records, include Florida Highway Patrol investigators, drivers who were involved in both accidents and who observed the accidents, accident reconstruction experts, and firefighter-paramedics.
Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on X: @GabrielaSzyman3.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Nokomis man expected to stand trial in connection to fatal hit-and-run
