Driver Killed in Bradford County After Hitting Tractor Trailer
A pickup truck driver was killed after he ran into the back of a semi truck trailer on Highway 301 outside of Lawtey in Bradford County, Florida (which is about an hour and 15 minutes southwest of Jacksonville, Florida). According to the article, the tractor trailer was stopped along the side of the road when the pickup driver drove off of the road and into the back of the trailer.
While this accident appears to be fairly straightforward and caused by a vehicle leaving the road for some reason, we do see very serious accidents that result from semi trucks stopping in or near the road and creating a dangerous hazard that is difficult for other drivers to see. The threat of injury or death that comes from a car or truck driving into the back or side of a tractor trailer is obvious. This can happen when a semi truck stops or breaks down in the road and fails to get completely off of the road or at least fails to display the proper signs and markings alerting other vehicles that they are stopped in the road. When a passenger vehicle is driving at night or around a curve and comes upon an unmarked, or poorly marked tractor trailer, that driver often does not have enough time to avoid the trailer. Serious injury or fatal accidents result. When a semi truck driver stopsin or near the road, that driver must flash the approprioate lights on the tractor and the trailer and possibly put orange cones or other markings along the road so other drivers have advanced notice that the tractor trailer is there. Failure to do so creates a serious hazrad for other drivers that can easily result in a very serious accident.
