Jacksonville, Florida – A collision between two semi-trucks occurred on Wednesday evening on I-10, resulting in serious injuries to one of the drivers, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
The incident transpired around 9 p.m. on the eastbound exit ramp from I-10 to SR 23. A 35-year-old driver from Clermont stopped in the gore area, the triangular grassy median, to inspect a possible tire issue. After resolving the matter, he began to re-enter the highway.
The driver was unable to spot an approaching second semi, operated by a 57-year-old driver from Hialeah. Despite the second semi-driver’s efforts to avoid the collision, he could not stop in time, and his semi-truck clipped the trailer of the first semi.
The impact caused the second driver’s semi to become wedged under the first semi. The 57-year-old Hialeah man was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.
Answers Needed to Why Semi-truck Failed to Yield, Resulting in Serious Injuries in Second Semi-truck Driver
Truck driving is a tough business. Long trips. Long hours. Long hours away from loved ones. After a long shift, all truck drivers want to do is arrive home safe and sound. This is why it is important for all drivers on the road to follow basic road rules implemented for everyone’s safety and protection.
Each year, there are thousands of people killed in fatal large-truck accidents. In 2021 alone, 4,714 people were killed, with 16 percent being truck occupants (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Many factors cause these serious crashes, some preventable, some outside the control of the driver. However, according to the FMCSA, 87% of truck accidents are caused by driver error.
This can take the form of distraction, fatigue, or a general lapse in judgment. An investigation will need to be conducted to determine exactly why the trucker here regained a lane of travel when it was unsafe to do so.
Truckers must regain a lane of travel without interrupting the flow of traffic. It seems clear here that this basic rule of road safety was broken, and an innocent man suffered serious injuries as a result. The driver should be held accountable for the harm suffered in this crash.
However, the truck driver may not be the only party bearing fault in this crash. Trucking companies must ensure their drivers are operating trucks that are properly maintained. The trucker here allegedly pulled over for issues with the truck’s tire. Had an issue with the tire not arisen, the dangerous situation would have been avoided completely.
Additionally, trucking companies must ensure that drivers are properly trained to respond to emergency situations, such as regaining a lane of travel after a mechanical issue. An investigation into the trucking company’s training policies is warranted to see what actions were taken to train and supervise its drivers.
The purpose of the law is to ensure the injured motorists receive the compensation needed to move forward without unintended financial burdens. This is only fair. The trucker did not ask to be seriously injured, and the consequence of such injuries very well may be lifelong. Our firm helps those suffering in these situations recover fair compensation for the harm and financial burdens they must experience.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, with extensive experience in complex auto/tire defect and commercial vehicle cases.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
