Fort Lauderdale Car and Truck Accident: Driver of Convertible Stuck Under Tanker Survives
The driver of a convertible walked away from what could have been a deadly Ft Lauderdale truck accident, when her out-of-control Mazda slipped underneath a tanker truck carrying diesel fuel.
According to news reports, the accident occurred during rush hour July 29 on South Federal Highway north of Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport. A 48-year-old woman driving a Mazda Miata, who said she was hit from behind, lost control of her sports car and collided with an oil tanker -- the car becoming wedged underneath the tanker truck. Aerial news shots show the top and passenger side of the car crushed beneath the belly of the tanker.
An off-duty Miami-Dade firefighter assisted the driver out of her car and walked her to paramedics. She sustained minor injuries and was transported to Broward Medical Center for treatment. The driver reportedly told the press that she is surprised and grateful she survived, as a car and commercial truck accident this serious could have left her dead or gravely injured.
Florida Large Truck Accident Statistics
Both drivers in this case were extremely lucky. Experienced Florida truck accident lawyers see the often tragic results of what can happen when cars, minivans, SUVs and motorcycles are involved in accidents with commercial trucks -- which can outsize and outweigh them by several tons. For the year 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 4,930 large trucks involved in fatal crashes and 101,000 large trucks involved in injury crashes in the U.S.
For the state of Florida for 2008, NHTSA reports that of the 2,978 fatal traffic crashes that occurred last year, 263 fatalities involved an accident with a large truck. That number is down from 400 fatalities involving at least one large truck in 2005 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Florida 2004-2008). In South Florida, many of these car-truck accidents occurred in Miami-Dade County followed by Broward County and Palm Beach County.
Sports Car Gets Wedged Under Tanker Truck
CBS4.com July 29, 2009
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