Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
A recent car accident in Port St. Lucie, involving a minivan and a tractor-trailer, killed a motorists and left about 25 gallons of fuel splattered all over the road. The accident happened on Interstate 95 at mile marker 124 just south of the Midway Road exit, according to NBC 5.
Four people were involved in this accident. One was killed and another was taken to the hospital. St. Lucie Fire Department’s special operations team reported to the scene of the accident to help clean up the mess. The northbound lanes were blocked off for approximately 2 hours.
Our St. Lucie car accident attorneys understand how dangerous traffic accidents can be when a large truck is involved. The dangers heighten when the large truck is carrying gasoline or any other form of dangerous chemical. Motorists should exercise extreme caution when traveling along Interstates at high speeds with other large trucks to avoid a potentially fatal accident.
Trucks inflict a substantial amount of injuries to motorists and can result in significant property damage during accidents on our roadways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were about 380,000 large trucks involved in traffic accidents in 2008 in the United States. More than 4,000 of these accidents were fatal, killing nearly 4,500 people. Another 90,000 people were injured in traffic accidents that involved a truck. Large trucks only made up 4 percent of the total number of registered vehicles in 2007. Although they only accounted for about 7 percent of the total number of vehicle miles traveled, they accounted for nearly 10 percent of all of the vehicles that were involved in fatal accidents. They also accounted for roughly 5 percent of all accidents that resulted with injuries and property-damage. It is estimated that about one out of every 9 fatal accidents involves a large truck.
Passenger-vehicle occupants are at the most risk for injury or death during an accident with a large truck. According to the most recent statistics of the fatalities that occurred from accidents that involved a large truck, nearly 75 percent of fatalities were sustained by the occupants of the smaller vehicle, about 10 percent were by nonoccupants and the remaining 15 percent were by the occupants of the large truck. Of the people that were injured in these types of accidents, about 70 percent were sustained by occupants of the other vehicle, less than 5 percent were nonoccupants and more than 25 percent were sustained by the occupants of the large truck.
During 2008, there were nearly 300 large trucks involved in fatal traffic accidents in the state of Florida.
Here are some safe driving tips to help keep you safe when you’re sharing an Interstate with a large truck:
-Never follow too closely. Wind gust from trucks have the ability to shift your car on the roadway and cause you to temporarily lose control of your vehicle.
-Do not cut in front of a large truck. Trucks take longer to stop than passenger vehicles.
-Stay out of a truck’s blind spots. Remember that is you can’t see the driver then they can’t see you.
-Don’t drive next to a truck for a prolonged period of time. When passing a truck, do so safely without lingering next to one.
-Before getting in front of a truck, make sure you can see the driver in your rear-view mirror.
-Always use your turn signals so that a driver is aware of your next move.
-Stay alert and keep both hands on the wheel.
-When a truck is passing your vehicle, take your foot off the accelerator and let it pass.
Freeman & Mallard is a personal injury and wrongful death law firm dedicated to helping motorists who have been injured in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce areas. Call today for a free consultation. 1-800-529-2368.
More Blog Entries:
Rear-end accidents involving tractor-trailers a deadly cause of car accidents in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, March 23, 2011
Heavier trucks mean greater risk of Fort Lauderdale trucking accidents, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, August 7, 2011