Truck Accidents

2,558 Florida Traffic Deaths in 2009, Says NHTSA

October 8, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,558 people were killed in Florida traffic accidents last year. Alcohol was a factor in 770 of the fatalities. On one hand, these latest figures show positive progress. In 2008, NHTSA reported 2,980 Florida traffic fatalities-887 involving an alcohol-impaired driver. The number of Florida traffic deaths have gone down. That said, our Miami car accident law firm looks forward to the day when there are even less traffic injuries and deaths occurring each year in Florida.

Nationally, there also has been a decrease in motor vehicle traffic crash deaths and injuries. NHTSA reports that there were 33,308 motor vehicle fatalities in 2009-a 9.7% drop from the year before and the lowest number of deaths since 1950. Even the number of US motorcycle crash deaths went down from 5,312 fatalities in 2008 to 4,462 deaths in 2009.

More 2009 US Traffic Deaths and Injuries Facts:
• 2,217,000 traffic crash injuries
• 503 truck crash deaths
• 17,000 truck accident injuries
• 90,000 motorcycle crash injuries
• 4,092 pedestrian deaths
• 59,000 pedestrian injuries
• 630 pedalcyclist deaths
• 70,000 pedalcyclist injuries

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that the government is committed to making the roads safer.

NHTSA also has just released its 2009 Distracted Driving Fatality and Injury Numbers:
• 5,474 US distracted driving-related deaths
• 448,000 distracted driving-related injuries

Mr. LaHood has referred to distracted driving as an epidemic. Talking on the cell phone, texting, eating, playing computer games, fiddling with an iPod or stereo, surfing the Internet on a laptop, watching a movie on a portable DVD player, putting on makeup, and reading a book or magazine are just some examples of activities that people have been known to engage in while driving that have distracted them to the point that traffic crash injuries and deaths have occurred.

Although many states have imposed at least some (if not a full) restriction on texting and cell phone use, currently Florida has no such restrictions.

Distracted Driving 2009, NHTSA (PDF)

Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Florida Department of Transportation

US Department of Transportation

Distraction.gov
Continue reading

Palm Beach County Truck Crash Kills 8-Year-Old Bicyclist

September 8, 2010 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

An 8-Year-old West Palm Beach school boy died this afternoon in a Greenacres, Florida truck accident. The Palm Beach County bicycle accident happened as Elian Rojas and his father were going home from school.

According to police, Elian, who was riding his bike, and his dad were on the sidewalk on Jog Road and getting ready to cross 13th Road South when a delivery truck hit him. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was not known whether the trucker is facing criminal charges. Investigators are trying to determine exactly what happened.

Our West Palm Beach personal injury law firm wants to remind you that if you or your loved one was seriously injured in a South Florida car accident, you must explore your legal options as soon as possible. Although Florida requires that all motorists carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, some injuries are so serious and costly that you will need to file a Palm Beach injury lawsuit against the responsible motorist and any other liable parties. Also, the opportunity for your Palm Beach injury lawyer’s team to examine vehicle and road damage while the evidence is still fresh, as well as talk to witnesses while the accounts are still vivid in their minds, can prove invaluable to your case.

Florida Truck Accident Injures Four Workers

December 17, 2009 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Last Thursday afternoon around 3:45pm, two highway contract workers were seriously injured in a truck accident on Highway 31. Authorities say the two workers were working in front of their Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck next to a guardrail when the rear of the truck was hit by a delivery truck.

One of the workers underwent a complete leg amputation when he was pushed along the guardrail. The other suffered severe leg injuries. The two were taken to Pensacola’s Sacred Heart Hospital by two LifeFlight helicopters.

The driver of the delivery truck and a third worker, who suffered a head injury, were taken by ambulance to D. W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton.

Source: Four Injured In Flomaton Wreck; One Suffers Amputation (With Photo Gallery), NorthEscambia.com, December 10, 2009 Continue reading

Coral Springs Track Accident Kills Florida Man

November 2, 2009 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

On Friday morning, a pick-up truck driver from West Palm Beach was killed in a Coral Springs traffic accident. The 39-year-old man was driving a Toyota pick-up truck when he collided with a Chevrolet Impala as it was exiting a parking lot nearby. Coral Springs police say the driver of the truck lost control of his vehicle and it rolled over, ejecting him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the truck accident.

The 58-year-old Coral Springs woman who was driving the Chevrolet Impala was not injured in the accident, and there were no other passengers in either vehicle.

The truck crash occurred around 10:45am last Friday near the 10700 block of Wiles Road. Police say the collision remains under investigation.

Driver killed in Coral Springs crash was a West Palm Beach man, police say, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 31, 2009 Continue reading

Florida Truck Accident Kills Teen

September 11, 2009 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

On Friday evening, a pedestrian died after a truck accident on 7th Street in Chipley. Lashawn Henderson was taken to Northwest Florida Regional Hospital and air-lifted towards Tallahassee. The 17-year-old died en route to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

The Chipley Police Department issued a press release stating that the motor vehicle accident involved a pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Samuel Taylor Toole and two pedestrians. One pedestrian was walking in the northbound lane of traffic and another on the east shoulder.

Toole apparently did not see pedestrian, and his pickup truck hit Henderson. He steered sharply in an attempt to avoid colliding with the pedestrian, and the pick skidded 73 feet on its right side tires before coming to a final rest in the southbound lane facing northwest.

Pedestrian killed in Chipley accident, ChipleyBugle.com, September 8, 2009 Continue reading

Florida Boy Recovering After Being Hit by Truck in Miami

July 2, 2009 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

In Miami, a 10-year-old boy from Jacksonville was seriously injured last month after being hit by a truck near the Seven Mile Bridge. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports that the boy was airlifted to Miami Children’s Hospital.

A FHP spokesperson indicated that the boy may have run into traffic while he and his family were attempting to cross the highway to Knights Key campground on a fishing outing. Neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be factors in the truck accident.

Since the truck crash that injured the 10-year-old, the family has been staying in a Miami apartment. He remains in critical condition at Miami Children’s Hospital, but friends say is making progress and may be able to return home to Jacksonville in a few weeks. In addition to the broken bones the boy suffered during the accident, he also contracted Swine Flu and suffered kidney failure.

Jacksonville Boy Recovering After Miami Accident, FirstCoastNews.com, July 1, 2009
Jacksonville Boy Hit, Seriously Injured in Miami, FirstCoastNews.com, June 10, 2009 Continue reading

Florida Teens Seriously Injured in Pickup Truck Crash

June 8, 2009 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

In Levy County, Florida, four teens were left seriously injured by a single- vehicle accident on Levy County Road 339A Friday night.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, two were ejected from the 2000 Ford Ranger, while the other two were trapped inside the vehicle, when the driver somehow drove onto the north shoulder of the road. Apparently, the driver steered right to avoid a ditch. His pickup truck rotated counterclockwise and spun over two or three times before it ended up on the passenger side.

All four teens were taken to Shands at the University of Florida, where their injuries were listed as serious. One was flown by helicopter, but the other three truck accident victims rode in ambulances. None of the passengers or the driver were wearing seatbelts, which may have increased the severity of their injuries.

The Florida Highway Patrol said they are investigating the motor vehicle crash. Charges are pending.

4 Levy teens injured in crash, Gainesville.com, June 7, 2009 Continue reading

Miami Truck Collision Kills One, Injures Others

June 4, 2009 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

The driver of a Honda CRV sustained head injuries in a downtown Miami traffic collision during rush hour last Thursday. That same motor vehicle accident killed a 49-year-old Tampa woman and critically injured her 17-year-old daughter.

According to police, the truck crash happened just before 4pm when the Honda was broadsided by a Toyota Tundra pickup truck that had spun out of control, possibly due to wet road conditions. The husband of the woman driving the Honda told press that his wife was stopped at the intersection and was hit by the Toyota when it ran a red light.

The truck accident is still under investigation and no charges have been filed as of yet, according to police. The woman driving the Toyota Tundra was questioned by detectives and later permitted to leave the scene of the accident.

Police Identify Downtown Miami Crash Victims, CBS4.com, May 30, 2009 Continue reading

Southwest Florida Tractor-Trailer – Van Accident Claims Six Lives

October 3, 2008 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

Six men were killed in a deadly Florida motor vehicle crash in Glades County on Monday when a tractor-trailer struck the van carrying them. The crash is being called one of the deadliest auto accidents to ever occur in Southwest Florida.

The accident occurred after a sand truck driver failed to stop at a stop sign, crashing into the van. All six victims were killed on impact. Four of the victims were ejected from the van and only two of the six men were carrying identification.

Ewing Saunders, the 66-year-old tractor-trailer driver, was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital where he was reportedly in serious condition on Monday night. The truck he was driving is owned by West Coast Aggregate Haulers.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s “Large Truck Causation Study,” major causes of crashes involving large trucks and passenger vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles, cars, pickup trucks, and vans, include:

• Improper surveillance
• Speeding
• Illegal driving maneuvers
• Exhaustion
• Illness
• Driver inattention
• Not anticipating other motorists’ maneuvers
• Driver distraction

Deadly truck crashes continue to be a potential danger for motorists on US roads. Injuries from truck crashes are usually catastrophic-especially for other drivers and pedestrians-and the costs for recovery and ongoing medical care can be very expensive.

6 killed in Fla. tractor-trailer crash with van, AP, October 1, 2008
Truck hits van, kills six in rural Glades County, News-Press.com, September 30, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Deadly Southwest Florida Crashes, News-Press.com, September 29, 2008
FMCSA
Continue reading

Florida Highway Patrol Says Tractor-Trailer Driven by Former Walton County Commissioner In Deadly Motor Vehicle Crash Was Overloaded

September 5, 2008 | by David J. Halberg, Esq.

According to results from the inspection conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation following the deadly Burhap, Walton County truck accident that left one man dead and a young girl seriously injured, the tractor-trailer driven by former Walton County Commissioner Herman Walker was overloaded with cattle feed by about 1,000 pounds( over the 80,000 limit). DOT inspectors also found that two breaks on the truck were out of adjustment and that the truck had not undergone its latest inspections.

The deadly crash, which happened on July 11, killed Eric S. Burhap, injured his wife Shannon and two children, and left family friend Katie Johnson, 9, with catastrophic injuries. The tractor-trailer collision occurred on State Road 2A north of DeFuniak Springs when Walker lost control of his truck on a curve and struck Burhap’s SUV. While blood alcohol test results show no proof Walker had alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, toxicology results are still pending.

In August, Shannon and Johnson filed a lawsuit against Walker for wrongful death and personal injury caused by the deadly Florida truck crash. The lawsuit also notes that Walker and his wife filed and finalized their divorce soon after the collision and that over $7 million in assets were transferred to his wife as part of their settlement. The lawsuit contends that Walker filed for divorce to avoid paying the money as compensation to the injury victims. Johnson and Shannon are seeking unspecified damages.