201705.04

Construction Zone Accidents: Be Cautious of the Reduced Speed and Slow Moving Industrial Vehicles

An accident in October 2016 involving a dump truck in Rockledge, Florida served as a reminder of the dangers that can occur due to slow moving construction and other industrial vehicles on Florida’s roadways in an era when it seems as if construction on Florida’s highways is never-ending. According to a report from Florida Today, “A 16-year-old Cocoa boy was killed in a late Wednesday traffic crash when the car he was a passenger in struck the rear of a tractor trailer in a construction zone, authorities said”. This is a reminder of how dangerous work zones can be. According to statistics from the federal Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, there were 669 fatalities from crashes in work zones on the nation’s highways in 2014, the latest year for which statistics are available. This is confirmation of the danger posed for motorists in construction zones.

The Dangers Posed by Slow Moving Construction and Other Industrial Vehicles

Dump trucks and other slow moving construction and industrial vehicles can be a hazard for drivers on Florida’s roadways. Even if the industrial vehicle’s driver is taking all appropriate steps to ensure his or her safety and that of other drivers, sometimes accidents can happen due to the slow-moving nature, slow acceleration and heavy weight of these vehicles when compared with a passenger vehicle. This can be particularly true on highways, where the disparity in speed between industrial vehicles or construction vehicles, that are entering or exiting the highway, and passenger vehicles can be extremely pronounced.

Under Florida law, the operator of a dump truck or other piece of industrial equipment owes a duty of care to other motorists to ensure that his or her operation of the vehicle is safe and reasonable under the circumstances. This means that the industrial truck driver must take all reasonable precautions to ensure that other motorists are safe. This can include waiting until traffic is clear before merging onto or entering traffic on a highway as well as always being careful to stay out of the left hand lane and using turn and brake signals when appropriate. If the dump truck driver is determined to have been negligent and an accident results from that negligence, then the driver can be liable for any injuries caused as a result of that accident. In addition, if the operator of such equipment was driving recklessly, carelessly or negligently, the driver’s employer could also be liable for the driver’s actions. The employer entrusted the operation of such a vehicle to someone who was likely to handle it in a careless or negligent manner.

Contact the Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys of Schwed, Adams, Sobel & McGinley if you Have Been Injured in An Accident with a Construction or Other Industrial Vehicle

If you are a motorist who has been injured in an accident with a construction vehicle or other industrial vehicle, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys of Schwed, Adams, Sobel & McGinley, P.A. today at (877) 694-6079 or contact@schwedlawfirm.com. Our experienced personal injury attorneys, who have over 150 combined years of legal experience, have sued numerous construction and other companies for their employees’ negligence in causing motor vehicle accidents that left our clients with catastrophic injuries. We have been able to successfully recover damages for our clients to make them whole for horrific injuries they suffered in accidents involving construction or other industrial vehicles. Contact us today for a free consultation if you have been injured in an accident with a construction or other type of industrial vehicle.