The presence of trucks on roads throughout the state of Florida is commonplace. They play a vital role in the way society operates today, transferring things from one place to another. One type of truck commonly seen on Miami area roads is dump trucks. The already large and heavy vehicles are made even heavier when transporting a full load.
Because of just how heavy they are most can imagine how devastating it can be when a much smaller car is involved in a collision with a dump truck. Even if the vehicles are not going all that fast when the crash occurs, it is possible that the outcome will still be bad.
Earlier this month an elderly man died when the vehicle in which he was a passenger was hit by a dump truck. The woman who was behind the wheel of the car was also injured in the truck accident.
Authorities indicate that the dump truck ran into the side of the hybrid vehicle. It then reportedly pulled the car down the road. When it stopped, it took some time to get the man out of the vehicle. Apparently part of the issue was that rescuers had to be particularly careful while using the Jaws of Life because the hybrid vehicle utilizes electricity that is a higher voltage than other cars. It is unclear whether that delay had anything to do with the man’s death which occurred after he had been taken to the hospital.
It is also unclear what caused the truck to hit the car. It is possible that the driver of the truck, who was uninjured in the incident, did not see the smaller car. Whether that was the case, or something else is to blame, will likely be determined in the course of the investigation being conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Whatever the cause of the crash, it is possible that the woman who survived the incident will decide to file a personal injury lawsuit against the truck driver and his employer. She could also decide to file a wrongful death lawsuit due to the death of her passenger.
Source: NBC-2, “Dump truck slams hybrid, kills 1,” Rick Ritter, March 14, 2013