Fort Myers Construction Co. Found Liable in Fatal I-75 Work Zone / Traffic Accident Case; Family Awarded $4 Million
A Fort Myers, Florida construction company was among the parties held liable in a lawsuit following the 2007 traffic accident death of a Sarasota father on Interstate 75. Last month, a Sarasota County, Florida jury awarded the family of 42-year-old James Brashear $4 million in a case that drew attention to Florida highway safety and preventing deadly road construction site accidents.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the deadly multi-vehicle Florida highway accident took place on Oct. 1, 2007, at 12:30 a.m., where a temporary roadblock had been set up around construction at the Bee Ridge Road interchange. The Herald Tribune reported that a semi-truck traveling at 70 mph failed to stop in time to avoid the line of cars stopped at the roadblock, slamming into them and setting off an 11-vehicle accident. Two men died (Mr. Brashear and a man from Miami) and several other people were taken to hospitals with serious injuries. Mr. Brashear's son was among the injured, and he survived.
The Brashear family's lawsuit in this fatal Florida I-75 highway work zone accident cited lack of adequate signage warning motorists leading up to the construction site as contributing factors. A jury ordered Zep Construction of Fort Myers, Florida, and Traffic Control Systems Inc. to pay punitive damages to the family of Mr. Brashear. The insurer for the trucking company of the semi-truck involved in the accident had previously awarded the families of the two men killed a $500,000 settlement.
Fort Myers truck accident lawyers have knowledge regarding Florida traffic laws and safety regulations. Studies have shown that highway construction sites can be particularly hazardous at night -- when drivers are unprepared for sudden stops, lane closures, detours, and unexpected workers and vehicles in or close to the road. The Florida Department of Transportation Work Zone Safety website reports that more than 50 percent of road work site / traffic crashes occur after dark, and that 90 percent of people who perish in road construction zone accidents are motorists and pedestrians.
Jury awards family $4 million for fatal accident
HeraldTribune.com Feb. 25, 2010
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