Florida Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

Florida trucking accidents can be devastating for the losses they cause. If you have been in a Florida car accident involving a truck or have been in a trucking accident, you may face many losses:

1) Loss of your health. One of the most tragic losses associated with Florida trucking accidents is the amount of devastating injuries which can occur from such accidents. Due to the size and force of large commercial trucks, Florida trucking accidents may result in amputations, brain injuries, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, and other serious injuries. In some cases, these injuries may be permanent and can affect every aspect of a patient’s life.

2) Loss of income. Florida trucking accidents often leave patients unable to return to work for weeks. In some cases, permanent injuries mean that patients can never return to work. Worse, while trucking accidents deprive a victim of income, they also almost always mean substantial medical bills and other costs.

3) Loss of family members. Florida truck accidents often lead to fatalities, depriving families of parents, siblings, children, and loved ones. It can often be devastating to try to recover from such a loss.

4) Property loss. Patients who are in a Florida car accident involving a truck often do not think about property loss immediately, but this type of loss can be significant. You may lose your car as well as any valuables in your car during a collision.

Continue reading " Coping with Loss After Florida Truck Accidents " »

There are many people who can help prevent car accidents:

1) Legislators. Lawmakers can and do pass laws which can help prevent Florida truck accidents. Legislators, for example, can pass laws regulating the trucking industry or pass laws regarding the rules of the road.

2) Advocacy groups and the press. Advocacy groups and the press play an important role in preventing Florida car accidents and truck accidents because they raise awareness about traffic accidents and the issued which cause them. For example, in recent years, the media as well as advocacy groups have raised the alarm about distracted driving and in some cases have been successful in convincing the public about the dangers on the roads.

3) Citizens. Citizens form an important link between advocacy groups, the media, and legislators. Citizens, responding to media reports and their own experiences, often lobby legislators and local representatives in order to change laws. By discussing events related to road safety and trucking accidents, citizens can also help spread a message about safety.

4) Trucking companies and the trucking industry. Trucking companies play a pivotal role in preventing Florida trucking accidents. Trucking companies can decide to put profits first or can make a commitment to safety. They can decide to carefully select and train safe truckers and can create conditions which encourage truck drivers to make good decisions about safety.

5) Truck drivers. When truck drivers get behind the wheel of a large truck, they decide on a moment-to-moment basis how safe they will be. Truck drivers decide whether to speed, whether to text and drive, and whether to keep their full focus on the roads.

6) Motorists and others who share the road with truck drivers. Motorists, too, have a responsibility for staying safe on the roads. Good motorists stay out of truck blind spots and avoid cutting trucks off.

7) Law enforcement. Law enforcement ensures that the laws passed by legislators are adhered to – both by truck drivers and motorists.

Continue reading " Everyone Has a Role to Play in Preventing Florida Truck Accidents " »

This week is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, organized in part by the American Trucking Association (ATA). This is a good week to appreciate the safe truckers on our roads – the truck drivers who work to help prevent Florida car accidents and truck accidents by driving safely and responsibly. Events have been held by trucking associations in every state to mark the week.

In celebration of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, the ATA has released some fascinating facts and statistics about our nation’s truckers:

1) In America, there are over 3.4 million professional truckers at work, driving more than 431 billion miles on our streets.

2) In 2008, truck drivers delivered 68.8% of the total US freight, which is about 10.2 billion tons of freight.

3) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that trucking accidents have decreased by 20% between 2008 and 2009 and fatal truck accidents are at an all-time low after declining four years in a row. While Florida trucking accident rates do tend to be higher than the national average in some years, the overall downward trend is certainly good news.

4) Fatality rates for truck occupants decreased 26% in 2009. New laws may be helping, according to some industry experts. Since 2004, when Hours of Service regulations were introduced, the overall fatalities in truck-related accidents has decreased 33%.

5) Truck drivers drive long distances. Regional truck drivers drive 48, 000 miles per year and long haul drivers drive an average of 100, 000 to 110, 000 miles per year.

Continue reading " Thank Safe Truckers This Week for Working to Prevent Florida Trucking Accidents " »

While Florida trucking accidents are almost always tragic in that they lead to many injuries and often lead to fatalities as well, not everyone has an equal chance in a truck accident. Due to the unique nature of trucks as well as their size and weight, some individuals are especially vulnerable in Florida trucking accidents:

1) Bicyclists. Bicyclists are not surrounded by a protective layer of metal, the way occupants in passenger vehicles are. Passenger vehicles are specifically designed to shield passengers in the event of a collision. There are seat belts, air bags, and other safety features intended to protect occupants. Bicyclists do not have these advantages. When hit by a truck in a Florida bicycle accident involving a truck, bicyclists are likely to sustain very severe injuries and have a high risk of fatal injuries.

2) Pedestrians. Like bicyclists, pedestrians are not protected by any external car or safety features. Worse, when an adult is struck by a truck, the truck’s relatively flat front usually means a sizeable area of impact and trauma. For an adult, being hit by a truck usually means substantial injuries to the head and abdomen area – injuries which often prove fatal. In fact, research has proven that Florida pedestrian accidents involving trucks are more fatal than pedestrian accidents involving cars.

3) Young children and minors. Even when children are protected by the safety features and the external structure of a passenger vehicle, they may be vulnerable to more injuries in Florida trucking accidents. One problem is that many safety features – such as airbags, for example – are in fact designed for adults and can be dangerous for child passengers. For this reason, it is important to always use age-appropriate child safety seats and safety restraints.

4) Motorcyclists. Like pedestrians and pedestrians, motorcyclists do not have the advantage of being surrounded by the safety features and the metal cage of a car. Worse, in a Florida trucking accident involving a motorcycle, the motorcycle itself can become a danger. It can land on the motorcyclist, crushing bones. It can slide under a truck, dragging the motorcyclist along. In many Florida burn injuries involving motorcycle accidents, the fuel tank of the motorcycle ignites in a collision, causing a fire and burn injuries. As well, since motorcyclists can travel faster than pedestrians or bicyclists, they can collide with a truck at a greater speed, causing even more injury and creating an even greater risk.

5) The elderly. The elderly often have lower bone density, which makes them more vulnerable to broken bones and serious injuries in a traffic accident, even when protected in a passenger vehicle.

Continue reading " Florida Trucking Accidents and Vulnerable Individuals " »

Public consumer groups dedicated to making our streets safer often speak out against Florida car accidents involving trucks. Advocacy groups, often organized by families of people who have lost their lives to Florida truck accidents, point out that large trucks are harder to control, more dangerous when they share the road with much smaller passenger vehicles, and are more difficult to stop suddenly in traffic. According to Road Safe America, an 80,000 pound tractor trailer traveling at 70 miles per hour has a similar impact in a collision as a passenger vehicle traveling at 360 miles an hour.

Across America, over 400, 000 commercial trucks and large trucks are involved in trucking accidents annually. These truck accidents resulted in more than 90, 000 injuries and 4, 200 deaths in 2008 alone. Florida trucking accidents also have a high fatality rate and often result in severe, permanent injuries, such as Florida brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and serious burn injuries.

Many people feel very safe beside big trucks on the road because they do not realize the devastation that trucks can cause. Many of the statistics released about truck accidents in Florida and in the US also seem innocuous. For example, only 12% of traffic fatalities are attributed to truck accidents, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As well, the media has reported in recent years that the number of fatal; truck accidents has dropped somewhat. While this is a positive step forward, other statistics suggest that there is no room for complacency:

1) While it is true that large truck accidents only cause 12% of all road fatalities, it is also true that large, heavy trucks are only 4% of the vehicles on the roads. As well, truck accidents are four times more likely to cause fatalities for car and truck drivers than car crashes involving only passenger cars.

2) Large trucks, such as commercial trucks, are twice as likely as passenger cars to be involved in multiple-vehicle collisions. In fact, one quarter of passenger car fatalities in multiple-car crashes include a large truck.

3) Trucks are far more likely to hurt passenger vehicle occupants. In truck accidents, 75% of injuries are sustained by the passengers in another vehicle (often a passenger vehicle). 2% of injuries are incurred by people who are not passengers at all. These non-passengers are often pedestrians. 23% of injuries are sustained by passengers or vehicles in the truck. Similarly, 75% of all fatalities in large truck accidents involved the deaths of passengers in cars or other vehicles while 17% of fatalities involved the truck driver or truck passengers. About 8% of truck accident fatalities involved non-occupants, often pedestrians. Quite simply, the size of the truck often protects the driver and the truck’s passengers somewhat, while the force of the truck does considerable damage to surrounding vehicles in a collision.

4) According to advocacy groups, just one 80,000 tractor trailer truck can do similar damage to bridges and roadways as 9,600 cars together can cause. Large truck accidents cost over $41 billion damages a year, and this figure does not include the general wear and tear which trucks place on the roads – wear and tear that some experts claim costs the economy many billions of dollars in new infrastructure, repairs, and construction.

In 2008, Russell Hurd’s daughter, Heather, was killed in a Florida car accident involving a truck when a truck ran a red light and collided with eight passenger vehicles. The truck driver was distracted by text messaging when the accident took place. Since then, Hurd has been trying to ensure that laws are passed banning drivers from talking on their cell phones or texting while driving.

Earlier this year, bills which would have banned text messaging and cell phone use in cars and trucks in Florida were killed in committees. Hurd has another opportunity this upcoming Tuesday, when a summit on distracted driving will be held by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in Washington. Hurd and others hope to convince lawmakers at the summit to change the laws to help prevent Florida truck accidents and car accidents involving distracted drivers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 20% of all accidents in 2008 were caused by distracted driving. That same year, there were 6,000 fatalities due to distracted driving. Drivers who are distracted are four times more likely to be in an accident than drivers who are not distracted.

Although texting and cell phone use have been targeted as a culprit in distracted driving, distracted driving can include driving while performing any other activity. Some Florida car accidents and truck accidents caused by distracted driving were the result of a driver changing music, adjusting the stereo, searching for a dropped item on the floor, reading, shaving, eating, drinking, talking to passengers, and many other activities. Any activity that distracts a driver from the road is potentially deadly.

For truck drivers, the risks are especially high. In many cases, trucks are on highways, driving at high speeds. The size and force of a truck is immense and trucks take longer than passenger vehicles to stop. When a driver is distracted, there is often no way for the truck driver to avert an accident. There is simply no way to stop the truck in time and the force of the truck pushes the truck forward.

Of course, Florida trucking accidents involving distracted drivers are especially tragic because they are often so preventable and so tragic. When a truck runs a red light or loses control because the driver is distracted, the truck has the potential to hit or even roll over many cars, causing multiple injuries and fatalities. For example, in the accident involving Heather Hurd, eight cars were damaged by the truck. Two fatalities and several injuries resulted.

One problem with Hurd’s quest is the fact that the definition of distracted driving is so broad. In fact, this is what caused the bills in Florida to fail to pass. Lawmakers question how many activities should be or could be banned under legislation, and experts agree that it is a problem. If a law were to ban cell phone use but still allow eating while driving, that would not reduce the instances of distracted driving.

While many people associate Florida truck accidents with high-speed highway accidents, some tragic Florida pedestrian accidents involve trucks in urban areas – and these accidents often include small children. Pickup trucks, delivery trucks, and other types of trucks which are common in urban areas and residential areas pose a high risk of fatalities and injury to children and minors. These trucks make unexpected stops and often fascinate youngsters.

Waste management trucks, for example, are a common risk to children, because they are prevalent in residential areas and often back up or stop unexpectedly. There are more than 700 such trucks servicing the South Florida area alone and now that the children are in school, these trucks are often in residential areas during the morning rush, when children are preparing for and heading out to school. Waste management truck drivers get training to ensure that they are safe drivers. However, there are many things that parents can do to help prevent this tragic type of Florida trucking accident:

1) Set some rules. Talk to your children about trucks and other vehicles. Especially, make sure that your children know how dangerous it is to approach a waste management truck or climb on it. Emphasize that the truck is dangerous, even when it is parked or stopped. Teach your children to recognize the back-up alarm and lights, which indicate that a truck is backing up.

2) Do not allow children to follow a waste management truck on skateboards, bicycles, or skates. If the truck stops suddenly, your children may not be able to brake in time. As well, children following closely behind a truck may not be visible to the driver.

3) Do not allow children to stand or play near the waste bins when waiting for the bus. The waste truck may come along before the bus does, and it is safer to have children clear of the area.

4) Do not let your children walk to school while texting or listening to an iPod. They may be too distracted to see or hear trucks and other vehicles coming. Many Florida pedestrian accidents each year occur simply because pedestrians are distracted and not noticing the dangers around them.

5) If you are driving your child to school, avoid driving behind or beside a waste management truck or other large truck. This is where the driver’s blind spots are. As well, give a truck more space when passing – a waste management truck and most commercial trucks take twice as long to come to a stop when compared with passenger vehicles.

According to a research study published in Accident Analysis & Prevention journal, our love affair with light trucks may be causing more Florida car accidents and pedestrian accidents – and more traffic accidents nationwide. The research was completed by researchers at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rowan University.

Researchers at Rowan University used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the Pedestrian Crash Data Study (PCDS), and the General Estimates System (GES) to gather information about crash statistics. Researchers compared injuries and accidents involving SUVs (sport utility vehicles), light trucks, pickup trucks, vans, and passenger vehicles.

The researchers concluded that passenger vehicles are shifting. More customers are purchasing vans and lights trucks, rather than the smaller cars which have traditionally made up the bulk of passenger cars. However, vans and light trucks are designed differently. They are more blunt, stiffer, and heavier. Their load is distributed differently. Researchers concluded that these differences make these vehicles more likely to cause serious Florida pedestrian accidents and Florida vehicle rollovers – as well as pedestrian accidents and rollovers across the country.

Researchers also found that passengers hit by a van or a light truck are two to three times as likely to sustain fatal injuries as pedestrians hit by a passenger vehicle. As well, pedestrians involved in an accident with a truck or van are significantly more likely to sustain a serous brain injury or thoracic injury when compared with pedestrians struck by a car. This substantiates common emergency room findings, where doctors report that more victims of Florida truck accidents sustain serious injuries to the head region. The fact that the front of trucks are higher and blunter can help account for this.

Florida currently has one of the highest fatality rates among pedestrians, and a love of the truck may be one reason, according to the Rowan university study and others like it. Of course, we cannot give up trucks. After all, they do help the economy and people often use trucks and light vans for work or for recreation. Ironically, many people may be purchasing trucks because they believe that trucks and larger vehicles are safer. Indeed, truck manufacturers often tout the safety ratings of light trucks and cars over smaller economy cars.

The NAS Jax Safety Department has been offering hands-on workshops to audiences to teach them about the dangers of Florida truck accidents, car accidents, and other accidents. Most recently, the department sponsored their "Street Smart" presentation over the Labor Day weekend. The presentation involved two Orlando paramedics who are part of Florida SAFE (Stay Alive From Education) Inc.

The presentations include audience participation, a clear description of cases where paramedics arrive at the scene of an accident and graphic depictions of accident scenes. According to SAFE, many trauma calls to local paramedics involve Florida drunk driving accidents. In many cases, drivers and passengers involved in these accidents are not wearing seat belts.

According to Orlando Firefighter and Paramedic Scott Neusch, who is also a part of SAFE, when a driver in a Florida truck accident or car accident is not wearing a seat belt, the chest hits the steering wheel. The impact of there crash causes the head of the driver to collide with the windshield and causes the thigh femur bones to be pushed into the abdomen.

According to the SAFE paramedics, when they arrive at the scene of a Florida truck accident, they stabilize the spinal cord of the accident victim, since many Florida truck accident victims are also Florida spinal cord injury victims – the force of the collision often injures the spinal cord. Once the spinal cord is stabilized, the paramedics remove the clothing of the accident and insert an IV and trach tube to prepare the victim for transport to a hospital.

Once in hospital, the accident victim has a catheter and chest tube inserted and is usually rushed to surgery. After surgery, patients are usually in considerable pain, since many Florida truck accidents and car accidents result in painful burn injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and other painful injuries. Some patients have permanent injuries while others require months of rehabilitation and treatment.

SAFE and NAS Jax Safety Department hope that the detailed and graphic presentations, which included real-life examples, will help convince Florida drivers about the importance of wearing a seat belt and obeying traffic laws. The detailed presentations are available to groups and schools and are intended to make a deep impression as to the real dangers of ignoring safety.

In 2008, 8-year-old Ronshay Dugans was killed when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and caused a Florida bus accident involving the school bus on which Dugans was traveling. Dugans’ family lobbied to change legislation in Florida to help prevent drowsy driving. Working with Florida state representative Alan Williams, the Dugans family has helped pass the Ronshay Dugans Act to combat fatigued driving.

As part of the act, the first week of every September will be designated as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week in Florida. The bill was passed by Florida legislature and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist in June. Morton Plant Mease Hospital, the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles have joined together to help promote Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 50% of drivers admit to fatigued driving in the past year. About a third of drivers admit that they drive while fatigued at least once a month. Another 30% of drivers admit they have fallen asleep at the wheel and 1% of drivers have been in an accident or a near accident while driving drowsy.

Driving drowsy is a serious problem in Florida and across the country. Even falling asleep for only a second – a period of sleep a drowsy driver might not even notice – means that a driver is traveling 88 feet while asleep (assuming the driver is traveling 60 mph). 88 feet is plenty of space to cause a Florida pedestrian accident or a serious accident. The problem is even more serious for truck drivers, since large commercial trucks take longer to stop. If a truck driver falls asleep for a second and travels for 88 feet, once he or she awakes, the driver will not be able to brake in time to prevent an accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that approximately 100,000 traffic accidents are caused by fatigued driving each year. These accidents cause 71, 000 injuries, 1,550 fatalities, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in losses. Some experts think that drivers between 18 and 24 are especially at risk. They already have a high rate of accidents and are statistically more likely to stay up late and sleep fewer hours.

Shift workers are especially vulnerable to car accidents caused by fatigued driving. Shift workers tend to get interrupted sleep, tend to change their sleep hours, and tend to fight their natural body cycle – all risk factors for sleep problems and drowsiness. Unfortunately, commercial truck drivers often are shift workers, driving late at night or during unusual work hours in order to make deliveries on time. This can make commercial truck drivers especially vulnerable to collisions.

Although there are many regulations at the state and federal levels regulating truck drivers, truck companies, and the truck industry, car drivers still have an obligation to help prevent Florida car accidents involving trucks. Florida trucking accidents involving cars are often especially tragic for passenger vehicles and their occupants, simply because of the disadvantageous difference in size between a truck and a car. There are many things that Florida car drivers can do, however, in order to help prevent tragedy:

1) Stay alert. Avoid a Florida drunk driving accident as well as trucking accidents and other types of traffic accidents by driving sober. Even one drink can impair your judgment. In addition to drinking, carefully consider any medications – including over-the-counter medications – that you may be taking. These may also cause you to become drowsy and unfit to operate a vehicle.

2) Stay focused. Distracted driving is a major contribution factor to Florida truck accidents and traffic accidents of all types. Avoid using your cell phone, mobile device, or headphones while driving. Focus on the road rather than on conversations or on entertainment.

3) Never cut off a truck. Trucks cannot brake in the same manner as cars do. Even with emergency brakes, large tractor trailers and 18 wheeler trucks take far longer than cars to stop. If you cut off a truck, even a very experienced truck driver may not be able to stop in time, and you could find yourself in a tragic accident. If you need to pass a truck, wait until you can see the front of the truck through your rearview mirror before you change lanes. This gives you enough time to pass safely.

4) Be aware of truck blind spots. The only way you can be sure that a truck driver can see you is if you can see the truck driver and if you make eye contact with the driver. Trucks have very large blind spots along the rear of the truck and along the sides. This is especially true for larger 18 wheelers and tractor trailers. Avoid driving for long periods of time in a truck’s blind spots and be especially wary about driving between two large trucks.

5) In Florida cities, especially, be careful around trucks making wide right turns. In Florida cities with narrow streets, drivers of large commercial trucks often swing very wide to the left in order to make a right turn. While they are doing this, blind spots do not allow them to see passenger cars beside them or behind them. Pay attention when a truck signals to turn and make sure that you offer the truck plenty of room to complete the turn.

More than 40 agencies and many officers launched their “Hand Across the Border” campaign recently at the Florida and Alabama border. The campaign aims to increase the presence of law enforcement authorities on Florida’s roads during this holiday weekend in order to help prevent Florida car accidents and truck accidents.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the past year that the campaign was in place, there were fewer Florida drunk driving accidents and traffic accidents during the long weekend. According to law enforcement agencies, drunk driving is an especially severe problem during the last holiday weekend of the summer. As motorists hope to enjoy the final weekend of summer, they sometimes indulge in alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car. Unfortunately, that decision can easily lead to a Florida pedestrian accident, car accident, or other serious accident. When cars and trucks collide, the results tend to be even more dangerous and fatal. Trucks cannot stop as quickly as cars can, so an erratic motorist or truck driver can be an especial danger.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the message to motorists this holiday weekend is simple:

1) Do not drink and drive;
2) Plan ahead if you will be drinking this weekend.

Officers agree that planning ahead is key to driving safely. If you think you may be drinking, find a sober driver or plan to take a taxi or an alternative way home. Having more than one plan can be helpful, as well, if your initial plan fails. For example, if you cannot find a taxi because of high demand, consider finding a nearby motel or place to sleep until morning, when you can drive safely. Anything is better than driving drunk.

This weekend, police officers and law enforcement agencies from several states will be monitoring roads for drunk drivers and impaired drivers. In 2009, 23 fatal Florida car accidents took place on Labor Day weekend alone. In 13 of these accidents, alcohol played a role. As a result of such preventable tragedies, police agencies have taken a “zero tolerance” approach to drivers who are caught speeding, drinking and driving, or driving without a seat belt this weekend.