A tractor trailer driver in Tampa, Florida hit a small tractor in Hillsborough County FL, killing the driver.

The truck was going west on SR 674 east of Lake Owens Road near Tampa when it slammed into a farm tractor that was straddling the right hand shoulder of the highway. The tractor driver died at the scene. The truck driver also suffered minor injuries. 

Charges are pending the investigation by the Florida State Police.

Our View

Unfortunately, tractor trailer accidents such as this tragic Florida crash occur frequently. All too often, tractor trailer drivers fail to discharge their duties properly as holders of a commericla driver’s license. First and foremost, it is their duty to drive their big rigs safely and responsibly.

If a tractor trailer driver fails to see a slow moving vehicle straddling the right shoulder of a highway, clearly he is not paying attention to his driving as he should.

Our Virginia personal injury and wrongful death lawyers have handled similar cases. We recently represented a client who was killed when a tractor trailer sideswiped him on the shoulder of I-95 in Virginia. Our client was also a truck driver and he had stopped his rig to check on the safety of his load.

The other truck driver should have easily seen our client, yet he did not slow  nor did he move into the left lane. He slammed into our client and killed him instantly.

In this type of case, it is important for the deceased’s family and estate to be represented by an experienced wrongful death attorney. The defense argued in our Virginia case that our client was partially responsible for the accident. We brought in a trucking liability and safety expert, and he showed that the other truck driver was the cause of the crash and death.

That case netted our client’s widow $2.25 million, which was vital to care for the truck driver’s children.