Rear End Accident Results in the Death of Two Children on I-10 in Columbia County, Florida
A Dodge Durango was rear ended on I-10 in Columbia County, Florida (which is about an hour west of Jacksonville, Florida), and two children in a family from Arkansas were killed in the accident according to an article on News4Jax.com. Other occupants of the Dodge Durango were seriously injured in the crash. The article indicates that Jordan Burch's vehicle hit the Dodge Durango from behind on I-10 which caused the accident. However, the accident was still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol at the time the article was posted.
Whenever there is a serious accident like this one, it is important to determine who was at fault so the injured parties can be compensated in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. In Florida, when there is a rear end accident like this one, there is a legal presumption that the back vehicle driver was negligent and liable for the damages caused by the crash. One reason for this legal presumption in Florida is that the back driver is in a better position to anticipate and avoid such a crash since the front driver is most likely looking ahead rather than behind his/her vehicle at any given time. This presumption can be refuted, for instance if the front driver did not have lights on at night or slammed on the brakes suddenly for no reason, but those instances are rare. In most accidents of this nature, the back driver could and should have avoided the crash and is fully responsible for all damages that result from the rear end accident.
