Truck rollover accidents in Florida are dramatic and generally make the evening news. When a truck rolls over on a Florida road or highway, the results are often catastrophic. A rollover can lead to secondary car accidents as cars and other vehicles try to swerve out of the way of an out-of-control truck. As the truck rolls, it can also crush other vehicles and even bystanders in the way. Even the truck driver is at risk, since the cab is not always stable enough to prevent serious injuries to the driver.
Since a fully loaded commercial truck in Florida can weigh 80 000 pounds or more, when a truck of this size rolls over, it can cause serious damage. The truck can rip up the roads, potentially causing other car accidents due to bad road conditions on the same stretch of Florida roadway. The truck’s load can also ignite or spill, potentially causing burn injuries.
In 2008 alone, 263 people were killed in truck accidents in Florida alone. That same year, the National Highway Transportation Safety Association’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis reported that 6.6% of all fatal large truck accidents across the country occurred in Florida. Florida rollovers accounted for some of these accidents. There are many ways that truck rollovers can occur:
1) Overloaded or improperly loaded trucks. Incorrectly loaded trucks can make trucks top-heavy, which can make the trucks easier to tip over. Overloaded trucks may also have a high center of gravity, which can make them more prone to rollovers.
2) Speeding. When truck drivers speed, especially on turns, trucks are more prone to rollovers. This is because when a turn is made at high speeds, the truck will tilt slightly. If the truck is also overloaded, the truck can easily rollover.
3) Drunk driving or fatigued driving. When a driver is distracted, tired, or inebriated, he or she may drift off the road. When this happens, the driver may drive onto a soft shoulder or into a ditch, which cannot support the truck and which then causes the truck to rollover.