A 16 year old boy from Cocoa, Florida in Brevard County died on October 19 when the car he was riding in was struck by a tractor trailer on US 1. 

The boy was a passenger in a 2010 Ford Fusion that was going south on US 1 when a tractor trailer changed lanes in front of their vehicle. The Fusion driver tried to avoid the truck by going into the construction area along the inside lane.

The back end of the trailer clipped the front of the car, causing it to crash. The boy died at the scene, while the Ford driver had minor injuries.

Our View

According to the commercial driver’s manual for our state of Virginia, truck drivers are required to very carefully check their mirrors when they are changing lanes on a highway. They should signal, wait, and then make very certain that no one is along the side of the truck before changing lanes. 

The Ford Fusion must have been visible in the left hand mirror of the truck, but for whatever reason, the truck driver did not see it. The result was a terrible truck accident that led to the death of a 16 year old.

Our personal injury and wrongful death attorneys in Virginia implore all truck drivers to drive responsibly and carefully. There should be far fewer personal injuries and deaths caused by truck drivers because they are trained to drive a commercial vehicle, and should make safety their highest priority.

When they fail to do so, people can die, and the truck driver and company can get sued for wrongful death. The result can be a settlement or verdict for millions of dollars.