Not long ago, Tampa police responded to the scene of a tractor-trailer accident that involved three smaller vehicles and a bunch of spilled cargo. The cause of the accident, however, was not something so uncommon: inattentive driving.
When the semi truck driver was traveling along Interstate 75, he exited the highway and ran through a red light at the top of the exit ramp. Before he could react and come to a complete stop, the driver collided with three cars and dragged two of them along the road. Eventually, the truck overturned.
In the wake of the tractor-trailer accident, the three occupants of the vehicles the truck collided with were taken to the hospital to be treated. Thankfully, no one sustained life-threatening injuries, but the scene was certainly concerning. In addition to the physical injuries, the accident is estimated to have caused at least $100,000 worth of damage.
Police interviewed the truck driver after the incident, and he told them that he didn’t see that the light was red until it was too late. Apparently, he didn’t realize he had exited the highway; rather, he believed that the off-ramp was just part of the highway. That lack of attention proved to be disastrous.
As the accident victims continue to recover, they will want to monitor their health. Some accident-related injuries take time to develop, so it may be several weeks before they know the full extent of the accident’s effects. Certainly, the immediate result of the accident could have been much worse, but even non-life threatening injuries may prove to be very painful and costly for the victims.
Source: Tampa Bay Times, “Tampa police: Semitrailer truck runs red light, causes crash,” May 12, 2013
