Truck accidents are often serious for two main reasons: the size of the truck and its contents. With many trucks weighing as much as 80,000 lbs., a passenger vehicle can easily become totalled when hit. Drivers can also be seriously injured, or even killed. Case in point: a truck accident in Florida left three drivers seriously injured.
The accident occurred on the morning of July 15 in Grand Ridge, near the State 10 and State 69 intersection. A 53-year-old man failed to stop at a red light. He ended up going through the intersection and hitting a tanker truck. The tanker was knocked over and its contents — hot tar — spilled all over the roadway. Like a domino effect, the 32-year-old driver of the tanker then hit a vehicle — a pickup truck driven by a 43-year-old man. The truck ended up on a concrete island.
All three drivers involved in the truck crash were seriously injured. The man who ran the red light was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The drivers of the pickup truck and the tanker truck were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The men are very fortunate that, although their injuries were serious, they were not killed as a result of the crash. More than 5,000 people are killed in truck accidents in the United States every year. This incident shows that it is very important to follow the rules of the roadway and not take traffic signals for granted. All motorists need to share the roadway and taking shortcuts can lead to serious, and deadly, consequences.
The man’s negligence has now led to extensive vehicle damage and costly medical bills. The drivers of the pickup truck and tanker should seek legal help to determine their options. The man who failed to stop should be held accountable for his actions and be forced to pay the medical bills and damage he caused.
Source: The News Herald, “3 injured when crash spills hot tar” No author given, Jul. 15, 2013
