Commercial Trucks Can Hit & Run Too Says Boca Truck Accident Lawyer Joe Osborne

Orlando resident just one of many killed in tractor-trailer hit and run accidents says Boca truck accident lawyer Joe Osborne.

If you imagine yourself getting involved in a hit and run accident, you may think about a speeding car driven by a teen distracted by a smart phone or a car driven by someone who had too many drinks after work. As hazardous as those kinds of situation can be, it could be far worse if that out of control vehicle is a tractor-trailer says Boca truck accident lawyer Joe Osborne.

Such a situation turned out to be fatal for a 71 year old Orlando resident who was killed on U.S. Highway 192 outside of St. Cloud last month, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, reports the Sun Sentinel. Troopers reported the tractor-trailer turned in front of a sedan heading east. The front of the car hit the side of the tractor-trailer and the truck driver never stopped. The truck and trailer were later located by police.

The man driving the car, whose identity wasn’t released, died at the scene. An Osceola County deputy recognized the tractor-trailer when he saw it at a gas station in the St. Cloud area. The deputy followed the tractor-trailer until troopers could pull over the driver. The newspaper reported the Florida Highway Patrol was collecting evidence and talking to a person of interest, added personal injury lawyer Osborne.

Commercial truck hit and run accidents are not uncommon.

1. Also last month a man died after a tractor-trailer slammed into his car then kept going near the entrance of the George Washington Bridge in New York City, reports WPIX. He was in the car with two passengers on the westbound Cross Bronx Expressway at the time of the accident. The driver was later stopped at a rest stop in New Jersey.
2. Another semi-truck truck struck and killed a pedestrian in Brooklyn, New York, in January. She was crossing a street when she was hit by the truck, according to the New York Post. Police later located the driver and were investigating if the driver was aware the pedestrian was struck.
3. A pedestrian was killed in Fort Lauderdale in a hit and run accident involving a tractor-trailer in 2014, reports the Sun Sentinel. David Howard Richter was struck along the 2000 block of West Sunrise Boulevard as the truck driver exited Interstate 95 to go westbound on Sunrise Boulevard.

Why would a commercial truck driver leave the scene of an accident?

1. The driver may not realize an accident happened. A truck driver may not have known a pedestrian was struck by a part of the truck or trailer. The driver may also be too fatigued or impaired by drugs or alcohol to know what’s going on.
2. A truck driver may have his or her commercial driver’s license suspended, revoked or canceled if he or she is at fault in an accident, depending on the facts of the situation and prior traffic violations or arrests. Such a driver may want to flee the scene in hopes of maintaining his or her ability to drive and earn an income.

No matter why the truck left the accident, if you or a loved one suffered an injury caused in a hit and run accident involving a tractor-trailer, contact Boca truck accident lawyer Joe Osborne at (561) 293-2600 or fill out this online contact form. You can discuss your case, how the law may apply and your best legal options to protect your rights and obtain compensation for your injuries.