Becoming a Truck Driver – Florida Truck Accident Attorney

florida truck accident attorneyHave you ever watched the driver of a massive tractor-trailer back his rig into a narrow alley to make a delivery? It has always amazed me how they do that, I can barely parallel park my rental car when I visit New York City. Obviously these professionals are well-trained, as they should be, considering the heavy responsibility involved with commanding a huge truck.

The maximum weight for a U.S. semi truck and full trailer is 80,000 pounds spread over 18 conventional wheels.

We have discussed the physics involved with a large truck vs. a passenger vehicle in an accident, and the truck almost always does massive damage to the car. Some new highways are actually being designed with separate lanes for cars and trucks just to avoid collisions.

This stunning statistic illustrates how dangerous it is to be in an accident with a big truck:

A total of 3,852 people died in large truck crashes in 2015. Sixteen percent of these deaths were truck occupants, 69 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 15 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists.

So, what does it take to be a truck driver in Florida?

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Cars and Trucks – Is it Time for a Separation? Florida Truck Accident Attorney

More Safety-Focused Rules and Separation Highway Projects may be Necessary

The relationship between cars and trucks may be compared to children: “get along and play nice, or we’ll have to separate you.”

Florida Truck Accident Attorney 4When a 2500 pound car impacts with an 80,000 pound tractor trailer truck it’s not a mystery as to which one will probably come out with more damage and injuries. According to the Institute for Highway Safety, in 2012 there were 3,514 deaths involving large trucks. Of these, 17 percent were truck occupants, 67 percent passenger auto occupants and 15 percent motorcycle and bicycle riders and pedestrians.

Separate lanes have been used around the country, but with limited success.

What’s been done to reduce car vs. truck accidents so far?

·         The US Department of Transportation has mandated drug testing for truck drivers.

·         Electronic monitoring has reduced driver fatigue by forcing rest-periods.

·         Background checks for truck drivers are more accurate thanks to advances in computer databases.

What is planned for the future?

·         Crash avoidance technology: There are now computer-operated cars, it’s only a matter of time for trucks.

·         More truck-only lanes: Georgia plans to build two lanes limited to trucks along 38 miles of Interstate 75, a heavily travelled freight corridor south of Atlanta. It will be the largest truck-only project in the nation and is expected to cost $2 billion. Hopefully the project will be complete in 2030. In Florida, highway officials have struggled to keep truck traffic on the Florida Turnpike, but with the expensive tolls charged they are mostly opting for I-95 which is very over-crowded.

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus in Fort Lauderdale helps people who have been injured in truck accidents as qualified truck accident attorneys. We have devoted a large part of our practice to this very specialized area which requires extensive knowledge of the statutes and rules that apply to the trucking industry. We are pleased to be one of the leading truck accident attorneys in the greater Fort Lauderdale are serving Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

Please contact us any time at 954-356-0006 or click here to request an online contact. Thank you.

Edited by D. Lekov Cerxs

 

 

 

Florida Truck Accident Attorney

Driverless Vehicles – Who is at Fault when they Crash?

Things that seemed technologically impossible years ago are now every-day commonalities as advances in science, computers, and engineering continue to grow.

No one would have believed that people would all be carrying portable phones and computers around with them, and the thought of driverless cars and trucks was a fantasy until just recently.

But the fantasy has become reality and prototypes of cars controlled by computers are now out on the road. Unfortunately, with every advancement there are sometimes very costly errors.

Florida Truck Accident AttorneyThe first reported death in a Tesla Model S crash while the Autopilot was activated has been shaking the Tesla and self-driving car community. The tragic accident happened May 7th in Florida, news outlets only learned of the event last week when Tesla revealed that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched preliminary evaluation in Tesla’s Autopilot system.

The investigation is in the very early stage, but it’s possible that the car’s forward facing camera, sensors, and radar interpreted the truck to actually be a bridge, and therefore “assumed” the car would be able to drive under it. What actually happened is the impact tore the roof off the car, and then it lost control. There is a possibility the driver of the car was watching a movie when the accident occurred.

This type of tragic incident is opening a whole new arena in the legal world, which is called robotics law.

Most advances in automobile technology such as seat belts, airbags, and anti-lock brakes were designed to improve safety but still relied on an action by the driver or passengers in order to function. Now the responsibility rests with a machine and it is very murky as to how this will affect court cases.

A division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates nearly all aspects of the trucking industry. How cars and trucks will deal with the infusion of driverless vehicles remains to be seen, as the legal profession also ponders and debates these issues over the next several years.

The Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus specializes in accidents involving commercial trucks and has for over 20 years. It is a unique and complex area of the law where special regulations and guidelines apply, and both Gary and Arleen Lazarus are eminently qualified to handle these situations. Please call their Fort Lauderdale office at 954-356-0006 if you or someone you know has been involved in a serious truck-related accident.

Why Cars and Trucks Collide

If We Understand Why Crashes Happen, We Can Take Steps to Avoid Them

Americans love to drive. Perhaps no invention affected American everyday life in the 20th century more than the automobile.

Although the technology for the automobile existed in the 19th century, it took Henry Ford to make the useful gadget accessible to the American public. Ford used the idea of the assembly line for automobile manufacturing. He paid his workers an unprecedented $5 a day when most laborers were bringing home two, hoping that it would increase their productivity. Furthermore, they might use their higher earnings to purchase a new car.

highway-trucksAnd so the love affair between Americans and their cars began. Even when new mass-transit systems are designed and constructed for travelers and commuters, large numbers of people prefer to drive on their own.

The creation of the interstate highway system not only allowed people to travel long distances in their cars, it permitted the cross-country delivery of goods by large commercial trucks. The blend of cars and trucks on the same roads has created the inevitable problem of collisions between the two, and these collisions often have deadly consequences.

Sharing the Road

The reason car vs. truck collisions are so devastating is simple physics. Passenger cars gained about 414 pounds in 26 years. In 1980, the average weight for passenger cars was 3,041 pounds, but it rose to 3,455 pounds by 2006.

The average weight of an 18-wheel tractor trailer on the road in the U.S. is 80,000 pounds.

When crash investigators examine what causes accidents, they look at the “critical reason” and the “associated factors” – two different things. For example, if a deer ran out in front of your car and you hit it, that would be the critical reason for the crash. However, an associated factor may be that it was raining and that caused you to not see the poor animal.

Some Statistics

For cars and trucks these are the critical reasons for crashes:

Trucks Cars
Non-Performance (sleep, sick) 3% 16%
Recognition (inattention) 35% 30%
Decision (speed, aggressive) 42% 24%
Performance (overcompensate) 7% 19%
Vehicle (brakes, tires, lights) 8% 4%
Environment (roadway, weather) 4% 3%
Unknown 1% 1%
Total 100% 100%

These are some of the associated factors – note that there can be more than one, so the totals exceed 100%:

Factors Trucks Cars
Brake problems 27% 2%
Traffic flow interrupted 25% 25%
Stop required before crash 21% 6%
Unfamiliarity with roadway 19% 10%
Inadequate surveillance 16% 14%
Traveling too fast for conditions 15% 11%
Illegal maneuver 12% 18%
Felt under work pressure 10% 3%
Distraction (Internal or External) 10% 10%
Inattention 9% 9%
Fatigue 7% 15%
False Assumption 6% 3%
Cargo Shift 1% NA
Illegal drugs 0.40%  3%
Alcohol use 0.30% 9%

You don’t have to be a government expert on traffic safety to notice a few interesting things. First of all, it seems that brakes on trucks are a big problem, and/or trucks need to reduce their speed. Also, it seems that alcohol and drug use is not a common cause for crashes among truckers. Passenger vehicle drivers still have some work to do on that issue.

If you drive a passenger vehicle, please pay attention to the fact that lack of rest is a big issue in crashes, as is lack of attention (which includes texting). Make a conscientious decision to eliminate those from being possible while you are driving, and you have significantly increased your chances of having a longer life.

Truckers, maintain your trucks. Try to avoid stress from the pressures of deadlines and competition. It’s understandable that you want to rush, but is it worth your life, or the lives of others?

Accidents involving truck have many special issues associated with them, and the Law Firm of Lazarus and Lazarus has reserved a major part of their practice to this complex arena. If you or someone you know has been involved in a crash involving a truck, we would be happy to sit down and discuss your situation. You may reach Gary or Arleen Lazarus by calling 954-356-0006.

Authorities Say Deadly Fort Pierce School Bus Accident Caused by Inattentive Bus Driver

1012894_cn_tower___%20sxchu.jpgLast month, a nine-year-old boy was killed and more than one dozen other children were injured when a school bus collided with a semi-trailer truck carrying landscaping sod near Fort Pierce. Many students, including the child killed, were wearing lap belts as required by Florida law. Still, several were ejected from the bus and lying on the ground when emergency crews arrived. The bus driver, Albert Hazen of Port St. Lucie, reportedly led the injured children off of the bus and directed them to rescue crews before collapsing and being taken to a local hospital.

According to a seven-page crash report released by the Florida Highway Patrol, the Frances K. Sweet Magnet School bus accident was caused by an inattentive bus driver. The report states the bus driver caused the accident when he turned left into the path of the oncoming tractor trailer. Despite that the 24-year-old semi-truck driver, Charles Cooper, attempted to avoid the accident, his vehicle struck the right side of the school bus and sent it spinning. Cooper was also taken to the hospital over injuries he sustained in the collision.

On the day of the accident, the sky was reportedly clear and the roadway was dry. Although toxicology results are currently pending, the driver is not suspected of using alcohol or other drugs prior to the crash. Still, the Florida Highway Patrol has stated charges related to the deadly accident are currently pending.

Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of personal injury and wrongful death claims filed in the State of Florida. Commuters, students, tourists, and others risk being injured in an auto accident every day. Some of the most common causes of Florida car accidents include drunk or impaired driving, driver inattention, and speeding. Many car crashes are also caused by drivers who are distracted by other vehicle occupants, cell phones, email, or text messaging.

Although car accidents may be minor, they can also be fatal. The medical costs related to recovering from an unexpected injury can be enormous. According to Florida law, those hurt in a collision are protected by mandatory Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. Unfortunately, the costs of recovery are often not completely covered by PIP. An experienced Florida personal injury lawyer can explain your rights and your options for recovery following a car crash.
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I-4 Tractor Trailer Fire in Orlando Causes Chain Reaction

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Orlando police had their hands full on September 8, 2010 around 8:30pm after a tractor trailer burst into flames on I-4, bringing Wednesday night traffic to a screeching halt. The accident happened on the Westbound side of the interstate after drivers signaled for a semi truck driver to pull over after noticing sparks shooting out from underneath the big rig.

The tractor trailer driver attempted to pull off the road, but the truck was already on fire. The driver was unharmed and emergency crews arrived on the scene and worked to extinguish the flames. As they did, a second accident occurred near Fairbanks Avenue, causing two other cars to catch on fire. Both accidents were cleared just after 10 p.m. It was unknown if anyone was inured in either of the accidents.

Two other crashes that same night kept local authorities very busy as well. Police suspect that wet road conditions may have contributed to the spike in the number of accidents, including one in Daytona Beach in which a car hit a power pole.

Tractor trailer accidents in Florida can be very deadly, particularly when they involve collisions with passenger vehicles. A skilled auto accident attorney can help you fight for damages after an accident involving a big rig. Many times, driver error or vehicle overload can cause accidents on the interstates and negligent drivers and their companies must be held responsible. Contact a lawyer today to find out what your options are regarding recovery for medical bills, pain and suffering and lost wages.