As they were working to change a flat tire on the side of the road, a deaf couple was instantly killed recently when they were hit by a semitrailer on the Florida Turnpike near Tampa. Florida Highway Patrol officers say the driver, identified as a 66-year-old male, hit the couple and then fled the scene in his truck. Police later found him and his truck, which had significant damage to its right front side.
The victims, a 19-year-old woman and a 24-year-old male, both deaf, parked their car and tried to change a flat tire on the paved shoulder of the road when the tractor-trailer hit them.
The truck did not have a GPS device, so authorities and the trucker’s employer had a hard time tracking the driver down. Authorities later met with him for an interview in Vero Beach. An investigation into the truck accident is continuing.
The truck driver had been involved in several other traffic violations dating back to at least 2007. He had been ticketed for reckless driving in Orange, Seminole and Lake counties and was convicted on that offence in Lake County in 2009. In 2007, the man was charged with auto negligence in Seminole County, but the case was dismissed in 2009, records show.
Friends of the couple that was killed expressed their grief on the Internet following the trucking accident. One friend said the accident was avoidable and highlights the need for truckers to drive safely at all times.
Any motorist who leaves the scene of an accident is liable for both criminal and civil charges. Truck accidents that injure and kill can cause overwhelming grief for survivors. In this case, the families of the victims have suffered a painful loss, so they may want to consider their legal options by consulting an experienced legal professional.
Source: Orlando Sentinel, “Sanford big-rig driver wanted after crash kills Polk couple,” Jerriann Sullivan, Oct. 9, 2013
