Truck Accident Attorney Blog

FHP May Have Made a Mistake

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:38:14 -0500

An investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on last January's deadly I-75 pile-up. The department has concluded that the Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant that ordered the reopening of I-75 while it was still shrouded in fog and smoke was not familiar with the agency's procedures for the opening and closing of roads and had no formal training. The road had been closed earlier for the same reasons.

The investigation reported that a Florida Highway Patrol Sergeant voiced concerns over re-opening a stretch of I-75 that had been closed earlier due to a combination of excessive fog and smoke from a nearby brush fire. However, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. John Gurley overruled him, allegedly because the lieutenant was worried that keeping the highway closed could also be dangerous.

Deadly Pile-Up

With a dozen cars, pickup trucks, a van, six tractor-trailers and a motorhome involved in the pile-up, the accident became one of the deadliest ever in Florida's roads. As a result 11 people were killed and 18 people were injured.

Among the dead were a 43-year-old Brazilian pastor, Jose Carmo Jr., his 39-year-old wife, Arianna and their 17-year-old daughter, Leticia. Deceased also was Carmo's 38-year-old brother, Edson, and the brother's 41-year-old girlfriend, Roselia DeSilva. They were all traveling in a van returning to Kennesaw, Ga., from an Orlando church retreat.

Another group of victims was traveling in a pickup truck from Pensacola to Sarasota for a relative's funeral. Included in the group were 17-year-old Sabryna Hughes Gilley; her 39-year-old father, Michael Hughes and her 46-year-old stepmother, Lori Lynne Brock-Hughes.

Additionally, a 22-year-old resident of Williston, Vontavia Robinson, died after his car rear-ended the back of pickup truck that had slammed into a tractor-trailer stopped in the center southbound lane.

Finally, a Toyota Matrix driven by 26-year-old Jason Lee Raikes, and his girlfriend, 27-year-old Christie Diana Nguyen, crashed in the northbound lanes. Both Jason and Christie died in the crash.

State Legislators Question FHP Decisions

State Representative Keith Perry, a Republican from Gainsville, expressed concern over the fact that despite the prevalent bad conditions, no one from the Florida Highway Patrol stayed on the scene once the road was re-opend. As stated before, that stretch of I-75 had been closed several hours early on January 29 due to heavy smoke from a nearby brushfire. The smoke seemed to clear at about 3:34 a.m. and FHP Lt. John Gourley decided to open the road to traffic. Troopers left immediately thereafter. However, a new bank of smoke and fog moved in around 4:00 a.m., reducing visibility to zero. Given these conditions, a deadly series of crashes ensued on both the northbound and the southbound lanes, costing the lives of those mentioned above and injuries to 18 other.

FHP Understaffed?

Additionally, State Senator Steve Oelrich, a Republican for Cross Creek and a former law enforcement officer himself, stated that he believes that inadequate FHP staffing would explain why certain protocols were not followed. Moreover, Oelrich believes that the Florida Highway Patrol was under pressure to keep the road open because it is so heavily traveled.

The FDLE has recommended mandatory steps to evaluate the information used to close roads, to increase communication with meteorologists and other technical experts so that the Florida Highway Patrol can make better decisions and to establish a clear chain of command.

Semi-Truck Rear-Ends Two Cars on I-95

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:14:14 -0500

According to wesh.com, a tractor-trailer rear-ended two vehicles at mile marker 220 on I-95 and sent several people to the hospital.

Distracted Driver?

An investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol is underway. Troopers' stated that their initial assessment of the circumstances surrounding the accident point to the driver of the eighteen-wheeler getting distracted by objects on his sun visor, but that it is still too early to tell. The huge tractor-trailer ran over one of the smaller vehicles and crushed it against the guardrails.

One injured person was classified as a trauma alert and airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center, while two others were found in stable condition and taken to Parrish Medical Center. Seven other people refused transportation to the hospital.

Truck Adequately Maintained?

As stated in the preceding paragraphs, an investigation by the Highway Patrol is underway. However, given our many ears of experience handling accidents involving large commercial trucks, we cannot help but wonder whether this eighteen-wheeler was adequately maintained. Time and again we have seen how trucking companies neglect to give adequate maintenance to their fleet, in some cases just to save a few dollars. For example, should the investigation show that the brakes on this truck were worn out and thus prevented the driver from stopping in time, then the trucking company may face liability.

Truck Overloaded?

We have also seen trucking companies overload their trucks in order to make their operation more profitable. In other words, the more merchandise they can move per truck, the larger their profit margin. Needless to say, an overloaded truck with worn out brakes is an accident waiting to happen. Given the weight and size of these large commercial trucks, they require longer distances to stop completely from the moment the driver applies the brakes. In fact, most rigs these days are considerably larger than they were 50 years ago. A typical tractor-trailer in the sixties was about 40 feet long, while a similar truck today is about 57 to 59 feet long. Of course, their size has increased so much to allow trucking companies and freight forwarding companies to move more cargo per truck and trip.

Tractor Trailer Driver Charged

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:23:15 -0500

The driver of a tractor-trailer stopped his rig on the fast lane of I-10, causing a multiple crash that resulted in the death of a fellow truck driver. The culprit, Andre J. Dixon, claims he thought he had sideswiped another vehicle and decided to stop and investigate. Stopping his truck to check if he had actually been in an accident was the responsible thing to do. However, he should not have stopped on the fast lane and/or taken too long to place reflective cones around his truck to warn other drivers that he had stopped.

According to the police report, Mr. Dixon got out of his truck and was walking on the grassy median when another tractor-trailer rear-ended his truck. Then a pick-up truck slammed into the back of this second rig. The report also states that Mr. Dixon was placing the reflective triangles around his destroyed eighteen-wheeler when police arrived, something that he should have done much earlier, according to regulations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

As a result, mysanantonio.com reports, this negligent driver has been charged with one count of criminally negligent homicide, a crime punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.00.

Deadly Rear End Collision

Unfortunately, the driver of the tractor-trailer that slammed into the back of Mr. Dixon's truck died at the scene, while the driver of the pick-up truck was taken to the hospital with a broken leg and other injuries.

Driver Negligence or Inadequate Training?

Throughout our firm's many years of practice, we have seen how trucking companies fail to properly train their drivers. Could this have been the case with Mr. Dixon? Was he aware of regulations that required him to immediately place reflective triangles around his truck in order to warn other drivers of the hazardous situation caused by his stopping in the middle of the road?

Hopefully the investigation will determine why Mr. Dixon failed to comply with the trucking rules. Yet, we cannot help but wonder if he was adequately trained. Mr. Dixon received his commercial driver's license only last August. That is not a lot of time to be familiar with all the rules or to potentially have enough experience to be operating such a large vehicle safely on our roads.

Tractor Trailer Driver Fails to Stop in Time

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:42:53 -0500

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of a tractor-trailer failed to stop in time and crashed into several cars on I-10.

Several People Injured

As a result of the accident, eight people were hurt and had to be transported to the hospital, three of them in serious condition. The driver of the eighteen-wheeler was not injured and was charged with careless driving.

Given our many years of experience handling commercial truck accident cases, we cannot help but wonder whether driver fatigue played a role in this crash. Time and again we have seen greed propel tractor-trailer drivers to drive far more hours that they should until fatigue sets in and an accident happens. But drivers of eighteen wheelers are not the only ones to blame. Rather than trying to prevent their drivers from spending more time than they should behind the wheel, trucking companies are usually the ones that create the circumstances that prompt these drivers' greed by setting delivery schedules that cannot be met unless the truckers break the rules.

Moreover, given the increasingly larger size of these trucks, the accidents they cause keep getting deadlier....Consider that while the average length of a tractor-trailer in the sixties was about 40 feet, today they can be as long as 57 to 59 feet long. The reason why these trucks keep getting larger is because there is a demand from trucking and shipping companies. Their primary motivation is profit, which increases as they move more merchandise per truck. Consequently, as long as technology allows truck manufacturers to make bigger eighteen-wheelers, we will keep seeing larger trucks.

Another Car Pile Up on a Florida Road

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:37:55 -0500

A couple of months ago we had a deadly car pile up caused by smoke and fog on I-75 south of Gainesville. Now, we have another deadly pile up, seemingly also caused by smoke and fog, this time on U.S. 27 south of Lake Wales.

Another Tractor Trailer Involved in a Pile Up

According to wtsp.com, the Polk County Sheriff's Office received reports of limited visibility on U.S. 27 south of Lake Wales at about 4:53 a.m. this morning. Two minutes later an accident was reported in that area. Deputies arrived on the scene shortly thereafter to find three separate accidents in both the North and Southbound lanes. Nine vehicles (including an eighteen wheeler) were involved in the accidents and, unfortunately, two people died.

While two of the crashes only caused minor damage to the vehicles involved, the third collision cost the live of a motorcyclist and caused serious injuries to another person. In this third crash, investigators have determined that a tractor trailer traveling Southbound crossed into the Northbound lanes and crashed into a Ford SUV and a motorcycle, killing the motorcyclist. The driver of the SUV was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Although authorities believe that smoke and fog were the cause of the accidents, we cannot help but wonder whether driver fatigue played any role in the crash involving the eighteen wheeler. Throughout our many years of practice we have seen trucking companies force their truckers to drive longer hours than they should, overload their trucks or load them incorrectly, all in the name of profit.

During our many years of practice, we have seen commercial truck drivers engage in maneuvers that make us wonder how we don't have more deadly accidents involving these increasingly larger tractor trailers. For example, we recently represented a young woman, Michelle Cardenas, that crashed her Honda Civic into the side of a tractor-trailer that made an improper and unexpected U-turn in front of her. The victim's car was left unrecognizable as it passed under the eighteen wheeler and our client had to be cut out of the vehicle by rescue personnel. The young lady suffered multiple catastrophic injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.

In a separate case, we currently represent the estate of a young man recently killed when the car he was a passenger in was literally run over by an eighteen-wheeler. For more details on this and other commercial truck accident cases handled by our firm over the years, please visit the Notable Cases section of our website.

Valuable Car Accident Information Found In Vehicle's "Black Boxes"

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:39:27 -0500

Much like commercial airliners, most modern motor vehicles come equipped with an "Event Data Recorder" (EDR), more commonly known as a "Black Box". These devices, usually about a square foot in size, continuously record and erase data relevant to the operation of a vehicle in small (6 to 8 second) segments until a significant event, like the deployment of an air bag after an accident, prompts the device to record the most recent information in the long-term memory bank of the EDR.

Information Useful for Accident Reconstruction

The information contained in the Event Data Recorder regarding an accident can help confirm (or refute) the conclusions that crash scene investigators may hold regarding an accident. Such was the case of an accident involving a 2008 Dodge Charger last month. According to the dailyherald.com, while reconstructing the events leading to the crash, investigators had concluded that the vehicle was traveling very fast. The Event Data Recorder confirmed that the car was moving at 142 mph when the crash happened.

Event Data Recorders and Tractor Trailers

Additionally, the information contained in these EDRs may also help the case of the victim of an accident with a commercial truck. While the EDRs currently used in average family cars record only some very basic data, those installed on eighteen wheelers are much more complex and therefore, record much more data. Also, it is important to note that these vehicles usually carry more than one. The most common HV EDRs (Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders) are part of the truck's engine control module, while other HV EDRs may be integrated into safety features like a collision avoidance or anti-rollover system. Many trucking companies have added their own tracking/speed systems to monitor driver activity as well as truck location and speed.

Unfortunately, there is no uniformity on the kind or amount of information that an HV EDR will record because each engine manufacturer builds its own HV EDR and decides what kind of information it will record. However, most of the current HV EDRs record data such as the engine rpm, the speed, the vehicle acceleration and the maintenance record, all relevant information to those investigating an accident.

Why Hiring An Experienced Attorney Right Away is Essential

Hiring right away a law firm experienced in handling trucking accidents can be crucial for your case. For example, a lawyer that is not familiar with the fact that there may be more than one HV EDRs in a truck, may fail to look for and collect valuable information that may make (or brake) the client's case. Our firm has won a number of cases based upon data recovered from these EDRs. We employ highly skilled and qualified experts to retrieve the information because the data could be lost if the downloading is done improperly. The information must also be documented so that it will be admissible as evidence at trial. It takes a skilled and qualified legal team to insure that everything is done correctly.

Moreover, legal work on the victim's claim should begin as soon as possible after any accident, especially one with a truck or commercial vehicle. Of course, medical care for the victim comes first. Yet, it is important to hire a knowledgeable lawyer within the first few days following a serious truck accident because it will allow the lawyer to start collecting evidence that can otherwise be lost. For this reason, we immediately send letters notifying the commercial carrier, their insurance company and their lawyer, to preserve the truck, tractor, trailer, container and cargo so it can be inspected by our team of lawyers and experts. Keeping these trucks out-of-service until the inspection process is concluded is critical.

We understand that accident victims usually want (and in most cases, need) to have their vehicles repaired or replaced as soon as possible. However, we recommend that a truck accident victim do not sign away the title or give up possession of their vehicle (to their insurance company or to that of the at-fault driver) before having their own personal injury lawyer examine the car first. In a number of our cases, we keep our client's car, or purchase the salvage of other vehicles involved in the crash in order to preserve evidence and enhance the value of our client's claim.

Similarly, victims of accidents with large commercial trucks must remember that the insurers for the trucking company have their own investigators and attorneys hard at work collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses as soon as the accident is reported. As a matter of fact, these insurance companies usually have fast response teams that are dispatched to the scene as soon as the accident is reported. In an eighteen wheeler fatal crash we are currently handling, the New York lawyer for the insurance company told me that his "expert" responded to the crash scene within hours of the fatality. Shouldn't accident victims have someone working as hard for them from the start?

Accidents With Tractor-Trailers: An Everyday Occurrence in Florida

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:15:18 -0500

Unfortunately, accidents involving passenger cars and tractor-trailers are an everyday occurrence in Florida. According to news4jax.com, early yesterday morning, Charles Davis, Jr., a 25-year-old resident of St. Augustine was involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer driven by 39-year-old resident of Cassellberry, Britt Wortman. Apparently, Mr. Wortman was making a U-turn at the intersection of Factory Outlet Drive and State Road 16 and turned into the path of Mr. Davis' car. Mr. Davis was taken to Orange Park Medical Center in critical condition.

Very Familiar Accident Circumstances

The preceding circumstances are very familiar to our firm: we recently represented a young woman that crashed her Honda Civic into the side of a tractor-trailer that made an improper U-turn in front of her on Okeechobee Road. The victim's car was left unrecognizable and she had to be cut out of the vehicle by rescue personnel. The young lady suffered multiple catastrophic injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. For more details on this and other commercial truck accident cases handled by our firm over the years, please visit the Notable Cases section of our website.

Commercial Trucks Keep Getting Larger

When it comes to businesses, there is no greater motivator than profit, which in this case increases as trucking companies are able to move more merchandise per truck. Consequently, commercial trucks keep getting bigger (and heavier) with each passing year. Just to give our readers an idea of the rate of growth of tractor-trailer trucks in the last 50 years, please note that while the combined length of an eighteen-wheeler in the 1960's was about 40 feet, today it can be 57 to 59 feet long.

However, while building larger commercial trucks allows trucking companies to carry more merchandise, it also has other consequences: longer breaking distances because of the trucks' extra weight and greater difficulty driving them because of their ever-increasing length. This greater difficulty to drive these larger vehicles may have been a contributing cause to the accidents mentioned above.

Ban On Texting While Driving Under Review By Florida Legislature

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:54:15 -0500

Texting while driving is illegal in thirty-five states and the District of Columbia. Some consider that texting while driving can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For example, according to herald-mail.com, the Motor Vehicle Administration of the State of Maryland considers that texting while driving slows down a driver's reaction time as much as if said driver had a blood alcohol level of .16 percent. That is twice the drinking limit in Florida, yet the Sunshine State does not have a ban on texting while driving. I guess that the Florida legislature does not consider those killed by a driver distracted while texting as dead as those killed by a drunk driver...

Often Considered, As Often Rejected

This is not the first time the Florida Legislature considers enacting a ban on texting while driving: one was killed at the committee level last year. The Republican dominated legislature considers anti-texting laws an intrusion into people's lives and points out that it is silly to try to regulate every thing we might do wrong. Moreover, as Jim Harper, Director for Information Policy Studies of the Libertarian Institute points out in support of the Republican position, "we already have laws that make it illegal to drive unsafely", which is what texting while driving is considered.

According to abcnews.go.com, a 2010 study by the Highway Loss Data Institute has found that accidents have not decreased in those states where laws against texting while driving have been enacted. In reality they have increased slightly.

In fact, some researchers claim that the bans are making the situation worst by causing some drivers (who know it is illegal to text and drive) to place their cell phones down and out of sight when they text, which makes them take their eyes further away from the road.

Tractor-Trailer Drivers More Likely to Cause Accidents While Texting

A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that commercial truck drivers are 23 times more likely to cause an accident when texting while driving. According to this study, which was commissioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, drivers who text take their eyes off the road for about 4.6 seconds, which means that if the distracted driver is going at 55 MPH, the vehicle will have travelled the length of a football field (including both end zones) without the driver looking at the road.

Although the study found that a trucker's behavior while texting and driving does not differ much from that of other drivers, the inherent dangers of driving large commercial trucks make it more likely for this group to cause accidents. It is well known that due to its weight and size, it takes a considerably larger distance to stop an eighteen-wheeler than it does to stop an average family car. Not to mention that the ever growing size of these commercial trucks is likely to make any such accidents deadlier than those caused by average passenger cars.

The effect of a tractor-trailer driver getting distracted sending text messages while driving is like throwing gasoline on a raging fire. Throughout our careers we have seen how poorly some trucking companies train their drivers, how many of these drivers (driven by the trucking companies' greed as well as their own) work for longer hours than they should, how much larger tractor-trailers are now than 50 years ago and how often these trucks (also in the name of profit) are overloaded or loaded incorrectly. Now, modern life throws in texting while driving and the results could not be deadlier.

Brother Of NBA's Star Amare Stoudemire Dies In Crash With Tractor Trailer

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:44:02 -0500

The older brother of New York Knicks' star Amare Stoudemire died early Monday in an accident involving a tractor trailer. According to nytimes.com, Hazell Stoudemire, a resident of Lakeland, Florida, was killed when his 2007 Cadillac Escalade rear-ended a tractor trailer on Highway 27 in Lake Wales. The same article reports that Mr. Stoudemire was not wearing a seat-belt at the time of the accident.

Investigation Continues

The investigation of this case continues and it should be noted that although initial reports have Mr. Stoudemire rear-ending the tractor trailer, all facts are not known yet and it is therefore too early to place blame on anyone involved this accident.

Tractor Trailers Accidents Keep Happening With Alarming Frequency

On a separate note, one more victim has been added to those that perished in the recent pileup on I-75, according to clickorlando.com. The eleventh victim was a man traveling with his wife and daughter in a Dodge pickup truck that crashed into a tractor trailer as it travelled South early Sunday.

The investigation also continues in this recent multiple crash, according to ocala.com. Six tractor trailers were involved in that crash which, in addition, caused injuries to 18 people.

All survivors talk about suddenly "hitting a wall of smoke" and that from there on visibility was close to zero. As a matter of fact, ACFR District Chief Jeff Harpe stated to the press that upon approaching the scene and "hitting the wall of smoke" he couldn't see the hood of his own truck. I imaging that any driver reaching such conditions would instinctively slow down and stop. However, professional truck drivers are taught to lead their vehicles on to the shoulder of the highway and stop, which leaves me wondering why so many of these initial reports talk about a number of eighteen wheelers being rear-ended after stopping on the right lane...

It does not look like these professional truck drivers followed protocol and stopped their large commercial trucks out of "harms way" on the shoulder. Could it be that there was just not enough time for them to react and do what they were trained to do? Or, could it be that they were just too fatigued after many long hours at the wheel to react as fast as needed? I am sure the ongoing investigation will shed some light on this event and give us an idea of who, if anyone, failed to follow protocol. Yet, we cannot help but wonder why these trucks were stopped on the right lane and not on the shoulder of the highway as protocol dictates. After all, in our many years of practice we have seen how commercial truck drivers are forced by their employers to drive longer hours than they should and/or received very poor training by these same employers.

Authorities Still Trying To Identify Victims From Gainesville Pileup

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:09:19 -0500

While many are questioning the decision to reopen the stretch of I-75 where the car pileup happened in the early morning hours of last Sunday, authorities are still trying to identify some of the victims of the fiery crashes that occurred near Gainesville. The latest victim was identified as Christie Nguyen, a 27 year old college student. Ms. Nguyen was the 7th victim to be identified. Authorities are still trying to identify three bodies that were badly burnt in their vehicles, making the process hard to complete.

No Federal Guidelines To Shut Down Roads

Apparently, there are no federal guidelines for the closure of highways. Be it a sandstorm in Arizona, a whiteout in Maine or a wildfire in Florida, the decision to shut down a highway rests with local state troopers, according to cbsnews.com. Typically, those on the scene will relay to their local supervisors information based on their visual appreciation of the conditions and these supervisors will then make a decision to close the highway or not.

Closing a highway can be a costly decision, given the volume of merchandise that's moved through our road system in large commercial trucks everyday. Timely delivery of those goods affects the profitability of trucking companies and freight forwarders alike. Therefore, local troopers "making the call" are likely to be under a lot of pressure to reopen a road.

However, there is no evidence that such was the case when troopers decided to reopen the stretch of I-75 where the pileups occurred. This part of the highway had been shut down earlier due to a previous accident. However, after being closed for three hours, a sergeant and a lieutenant from the Florida Highway Patrol decided that conditions had cleared enough to reopen the road. Apparently, conditions quickly deteriorated soon thereafter, causing the fiery pileups that ended up costing the lives of ten people and injuries to 18.

Deadly Tractor Trailer Crash in I-75

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:22:34 -0500

A fatal pileup late Saturday evening on I-75 just South of Gainesville started with a three vehicle crash involving a tractor-trailer, according to msnbc.com.

As a result of the pileup, 10 people died and 18 got injured. The combination of heavy smoke from a nearby brush fire, the fog and the darkness were to blame for the low visibility that caused the initial accident involving an eighteen-wheeler and two passenger vehicles. Because of this accident and the deteriorating visibility, the Florida Highway Patrol closed both I-75 and nearby US-441. Both roads were re-opened a few hours later despite the poor visibility, which caused a series of pileups that brought about the death, injuries and destruction mentioned before.

Both Sides of the Road

Poor visibility affected both sides of the interstate and accidents started happening on both the Northbound and the Southbound lanes of I-75. Steven R. Camps, a witness who was driving home to Gainesville said that once the pileup started it felt like there was nowhere to run and that it looked "like the end of the World". Visibility was so poor that rescuers arriving at the scene early Sunday had to listen for screams and moans to find victims in the mile long pileup.

Brush Fire May Have Be Arson

Police now suspect that the brush fire, which combined with fog and darkness helped blind the drivers of the vehicles involved in the deadly pileup, was arson. If so, this makes the arsonist liable for multiple counts of manslaughter. Police's suspicion of arson is based on the fact that there were no controlled burns in the area, as well as no lightning strikes. A few years ago our law firm handled a tractor-trailer accident case that occurred on I-95 in northern Florida. After an extensive investigation we were able to successfully recover money damages for our clients. Although fog is a natural occurring event, professional tractor-trailer drivers are trained on how to handle encounters with smoke and fog. In that case some, if not all of the eighteen-wheeler drivers involved failed to follow their training and good judgment.

Bigger Trucks, Deadlier Accidents

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:27:30 -0500

Commercial trucks continue to grow in size to the point that while the combined length of a tractor-trailer in the 1960's was about 40 feet, today their combined length can be 57 to 59 feet long. This, of course, not only means more weight capacity, but deadlier accidents....

Large Truck More Likely To Crash

Statistics show that while large trucks account for just 4 percent of all registered vehicles and make up for just 7 percent of all vehicle miles traveled, they are involved in 11 percent of all crash fatalities. Logically, the longer and heavier commercial trucks become, the deadlier these trucks are. The odds of those traveling in the average family car of surviving an accident with one of these large trucks decreases as the weight of the truck increases.

According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, a commercial truck weighing 80,000 pounds is more than twice as likely to get involved in a fatal crash as one weighing 50,000 pounds. This is because of the increased braking space needed as weight increases. For example, a commercial truck weighing 100,000 pounds with unadjusted brakes travels 25% further after the driver steps on the brakes than an 80,000 pound truck.

Large truck crashes cost our economy $19 billion every year. And, a final chilling accident statistic: the annual death toll from truck related crashes equals 26 major airplane crashes every year....

Larger Trucks Do Not Equal Less Trucks On Road

Studies continue to show a steady increase in the number of commercial trucks in our roads, despite their larger size over the years. This means that the fact that they are now bigger, has not translated into fewer trips or less miles travelled. As a matter of fact, according to the Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety, the number of trucks and miles traveled per truck continue to consistently grow every year despite the growth in size of the trucks themselves. As a matter of fact, the number of tractor trailer trips is expected to grow tremendously in the next 10 years putting more cars and their occupants in harm's way.

Tire Debris From Large Truck Causes Accident

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:26:24 -0500

Parts of a tire from a tractor-trailer caused a deadly accident on I-95 late Monday evening, according to Jacksonville.com.

Pick Up Truck Flipped After Hitting Debris

The victims, Rebeca Hernandez-Martinez, Danial Lopez-Solis and the driver, Jose Camacho were in a Ford Explorer which flipped over and collided with a tree after hitting the tire debris from the tractor-trailer. Unfortunately, although all three were wearing their seat belts, Hernandez-Martinez lost her life, while Lopez-Solis had to be taken to Halifax General Hospital in critical condition. The driver, Jose Camacho, only suffered minor injuries.

South Florida Teen Dies In Crash With Tractor Trailer

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:42:27 -0500

According to the Sun Sentinel, a South Florida teenager lost her life and her friend was taken to the hospital in critical condition when their SUV was rear-ended by an eighteen wheeler early last Wednesday, August 10, 2011.

SUV Was Disabled

Carol Sun was pronounced dead on the scene of the accident and her friend Patricia Bao-Tran Le had to be taken to a local hospital in critical condition. They were both 17 years old. Apparently something caused Patricia, who was driving the Toyota 4Runner, to hit the median wall and end up disabled on the right lane. Moments later they were hit by a tractor trailer and split in half.

Although not so long ago I was a parent that went through the worries and sleepless nights that come along with his kids' early teenage driving, I can't even start to imagine the pain that Carol's parents are going through....My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

Tractor Trailer Accidents Continue To Plague Florida's Roads

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:43:39 -0500

Road repair crews had to work overnight on July 15 to restore a portion of Interstate 75 damaged by the fiery crash of two eighteen wheelers, according to the HeraldTribune.com.

Cited For Careless Driving

Thankfully, no one was injured. However, the Florida Highway Patrol cited Ruban C. Evans of Ocala for careless driving. State troopers claim that had Mr. Evans slowed down to traffic, he would not have rear-ended another large truck driven by Terry Burke from Gibsonton.

After striking Burke's tractor trailer, Evan's truck hit the concrete shoulder and caught fire. The Highway Patrol estimated the truck's damages at $90,000.00.

Tractor Trailer Rollover On I-95

According to FloridaToday.com, on July 13 an SUV and an eighteen wheeler collided near the Port St. John Parkway when the driver of the tractor trailer tried to pass the SUV. Nathaniel Williams, of Jacksonville, was given a ticket for failure to use due care when he tried to overtake an SUV driven by Rolland Merritt and hit the trailer being towed by the SUV. The impact caused both vehicles to roll off to the West shoulder, rollover and end up on their sides. Mr. Williams was injured and taken to the hospital.