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Trucker may be behind deadly pile-up in Florida

On Behalf of | Jan 17, 2019 | Truck Accidents

West Virginia drivers have good reason to be cautious when sharing the road with commercial truckers. At the start of 2019, there was a chain-reaction crash on I-75 near Gainesville, Florida, that police believe was caused when a semi-truck driver moved left out of the right lane and collided with a passenger vehicle, a 2007 Honda sedan.

The two vehicles then broke through the median guardrail, causing accidents on both sides of the highway. On the southbound lane, the truck crashed into a 2006 Chevrolet passenger van on the driver’s side, flipping it and causing some of its 12 occupants to be ejected. The exact number of those who were ejected is unknown, and highway patrol are unsure if any were wearing seat belts.

The chain reaction ended with the truck colliding with another semi and causing a fire. In all, seven were killed – five children ranging from 9 to 14 years old in addition to the two semi-truck drivers, aged 59 and 49 respectively. Florida Highway Patrol have stated that it will take three to four months to complete an investigation into the crash. Why the trucker moved left in the right lane is still unknown. Police have already ruled out alcohol as a possible factor in the crash.

While it is true that many crashes between truckers and passenger vehicle drivers are caused by the latter, truckers are often negligent too. For example, there is an ongoing controversy over truckers violating hours-of-service rules and driving drowsy. Victims of truck driver negligence can consult with an attorney about filing a claim against the trucking company.

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