Truck Driver in Jacksonville Falls Asleep at the Wheel, Causing Massive Accident

A recent trucking accident in Jacksonville serves as yet another reminder of just how dangerous it is when drowsy drivers are behind the wheel, particularly when the drowsy driver in question is at the wheel of a truck. According to an article regarding the accident from News 4 Jax, a box truck carrying industrial cleaning chemicals was traveling on the Buckman Bridge, a section of I-295 that spans the St. John’s River near downtown Jacksonville around 6:30 a.m. when its truck driver fell asleep. He then rear-ended a disabled tractor-trailer that had been involved in an accident the night before and was waiting on the side of the road for a tow truck to arrive, whose driver was sleeping in the truck at the time the box truck hit the tractor-trailer. Debris from that accident then hit a second tractor-trailer. Given the presence of potentially hazardous chemicals, some of which were exploding when fire rescue first arrived on the scene, a hazmat team was called in to assist to ensure that the industrial cleaning products did not seep into the nearby river. The crash blocked all northbound lanes of I-295, the ring road that circles Jacksonville, for nearly six hours while crews worked to clear all the wreckage. Miraculously, no one was injured in the crash, but the amount of damage to all three trucks is unbelievable, as is the fact that one of the drivers was involved in two accidents in less than 24 hours.

Trucks, whether tractor-trailers that are carrying loads over long distances or commercial trucks like the box truck that caused this crash, are more dangerous than other vehicles on the road. This is due to their size, as well as, the fact that their drivers often are exhausted from too long on the road. Despite Florida’s best efforts to deal with this problem, the state is still plagued by trucking accidents, including those caused by drowsy truck drivers. If you are the victim of such an accident, the answer for you is to retain an experienced trucking accident attorney like the experienced personal injury attorneys of Schwed, Adams & McGinley. We have held truck drivers and the companies that employ them accountable for hundreds of satisfied and we will do the same for you.

Drowsy Driving Is Dangerous, Particularly with a Truck Driver

Virtually every Sunshine State driver has been in a situation where you are driving on the highway and a tractor trailer, seemingly swerving back and forth between lanes and with its driver barely in control, goes by like no one is even behind the wheel. Similarly, there are reports of accidents involving trucks like this recent one in Jacksonville nearly every week on Florida interstates, state highways, and even surface streets. Large trucks are frequently driven in an unsafe fashion, often because the companies that employ their drivers may be pushing their drivers past their natural limits despite state and federal laws meant to discourage them from doing so.

Truck drivers are on the road for long stretches of time at once and, despite state laws meant to limit their time behind the wheel, often are drowsy while behind the wheel of a potentially lethal vehicle. Worse, the driver might be talking on the phone or texting behind the wheel while operating such a large, dangerous vehicle. One false move could mean death or serious injuries to not only that driver, but everyone in the vehicles around that driver.

Florida Law Governing Trucks and Truck Drivers

Florida extensively regulates both trucking companies and truck drivers. Florida law strictly limits the size and weight requirements for the trucks that are permitted on the Sunshine State’s roads. Florida regulates the hours that truck drivers are permitted to drive as well as what truck drivers can do with mobile phones while behind the wheel. Nevertheless, this still does not seem like it prevents accidents like the recent accident in Jacksonville. This is why it is necessary to retain an experienced trucking accident attorney like the experienced personal injury attorneys of Schwed, Adams & McGinley if you have been injured in a trucking accident.

Contact Schwed, Adams & McGinley

At Schwed, Adams, & McGinley, P.A., our experienced personal injury attorneys have more than 200 years of combined practice representing victims of all sorts of motor vehicle and trucking accidents, including those involving drowsy drivers. The experienced truck accident attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley can use our experience to help you pursue full and fair compensation for your losses after you have been injured in a trucking accident. Therefore, if a truck driver’s negligence caused you to suffer injuries in a trucking accident in Florida, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A today at 877-694-6079 or contact@schwedlawfirm.com for a free consultation.