A driver from Kingsland, Georgia died Friday afternoon after a chain-reaction on the road involving a tractor-trailer.
The tractor-trailer was hauling a load of beer, heading south near Pecan Park Road, when he rear-ended a pickup truck that was pulling a cement mixer. All of this occurred on North Main Street in north Jacksonville, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The 45-year old driver, Tony Baker, was in a truck heading northbound when his truck hit the jackknifed tractor-trailer.
Baker was pronounced dead at the scene while the other drivers were okay.
There is no word on what caused this accident but it should remind us all of a report issued by the Associated Press last summer. It was reported that sick and disabled truck drivers carry commercial licenses even though they also qualify for disability payments. The Associated Press identified drivers who blacked out, collapsed or suffered major health problems behind the wheel of vehicles that can weigh 40 tons or more.
The federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is clearly asleep at the wheel. The agency acknowledges it hasn’t completed any of eight recommendations that have been proposed by safety regulators since 2001.
At least we should be assured that a driver is medically safe to drive. The rules would also prevent truckers from doctor shopping to find a physician who will write them a bill of clean health. Violations of medical rules have been found in every state.
Truck accidents truly present the largest danger on our highways today. If you are involved in a full speed crash with a semi-truck, it is equivalent to colliding with 20 cars – all at the same time. This is very serious and can have catastrophic consequences.
In the aftermath of serious large truck accidents and tractor-trailer accidents, the truck accident lawyers of Farah and Farah in Jacksonville are prepared to represent victims and help them receive the compensation they are owed. Due to the deadly nature of tractor-trailer accidents, the advice of an experienced attorney is invaluable to accident victims to uncover what happened and why and answer questions for the surviving family members. Our condolences to the families involved.
