Commercial tractor-trailers have proven their utility in our modern economy. We rely on them daily to bring in goods to market and export our products to consumers both regionally and in another states. The usefulness of semi-trucks has ensured that they are a constant presence on nearly all of Florida’s roadways.
Unfortunately, the trucking industry is extremely competitive. To remain profitable, some less scrupulous trucking companies have resorted to implementing policies that are designed to maximize profits while placing little emphasis on public safety. Examples of these practices are discovered far too often after fatigued truck drivers kill or injure unsuspecting motorists as they struggle to stay awake and beat the clock.
The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle department maintains statistics that record the numbers and types of accidents that occur annually throughout the state. In 2010, the FHSMV reported that heavy trucks were involved in 3,329 accidents throughout the state. Unfortunately, those accidents resulted in 58 fatalities and another 1,821 persons injured.
Perhaps most alarming in those 2010 statistics was that although incidents in which a tractor-trailer jackknifed represented only 0.03 percent of all traffic accidents, they still contributed to over 79 individuals suffering injuries as a result of those events.
You do not have to suffer quietly if you have been the victim of a preventable truck accident in Florida. Depending on the circumstances of your case, it may be possible for you to sue the driver responsible for your injuries as well as the company that hired that individual. The assistance of an attorney experienced in commercial tractor-trailer accident reconstruction can prove invaluable in helping to prove your claims in court during your personal injury lawsuit.
Source: Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, “Traffic Crash Statistics Report 2010” Nov. 03, 2014