Florida Bus and Truck Accidents: Overloaded, Unsafe Trucks and Buses are Often to Blame for Migrant Worker Injuries and Fatalities
If you have lived in Florida for several years, you have probably heard about serious accidents involving migrant workers so often that you become almost used to them. They always seem to happen out in the middle of nowhere, and while you feel saddened by these tragedies, the news coverage is brief because the dead and injured people are not established members of the community. The victims are usually forgotten, and the accidents continue to happen.
The truth is that these accidents are often the result of careless and negligent companies and their employees who cut costs by placing human beings in harm’s way when they transport them in unsafe trucks and buses.
Nationwide, more than a dozen accidents have left at least 38 migrant workers dead and nearly 200 injured just since January 2015. The casualties included a 4-year-old and a 5-year-old, traveling with migrant worker parents.
According to the Associated Press, on July 2, 2016 police say a 1979 school bus carrying dozens of Haitian farm workers and family members blew through a flashing red light near the town of St. Marks, Florida, and was struck by a tractor-trailer. The truck driver and three on the bus were killed.
Unsecured seats were among 25 violations cited in post-accident inspections of farm labor contractor Billy R. Evans’ fleet. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration called the Belle Glade, Florida, contractor “an imminent risk of serious injury or death,” and ordered him off the roads.
Often, the farm companies or the contractors they hire to transport workers do not have adequate liability insurance, operate unsafe vehicles, or hire under-trained drivers, and the workers are afraid to say anything because they don’t want to rock the boat.
Florida Bus and Truck Accidents
Surely the State of Florida can do more to regulate transportation for migrant workers, inspect vehicles, and make sure that there is adequate insurance to compensate the victims and their families when accidents do happen.
Florida Accident Attorneys
When a single accident involves many people in large commercial vehicles the process of sorting everything out is an extremely complex process and requires experienced attorneys and investigators. The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus specializes in helping victims of Florida bus and truck accidents. Our focus is on getting people the medical and financial help they need to recover.
We are pleased to meet with anyone who has questions about a serious accident, and you can reach us by calling 954-356-0006 or click here to fill out a contact form and we will respond to you promptly and confidentially.
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