Earlier this year, a trip to Disney ended in tragedy after five children were killed in a deadly semi truck accident. While all accidents are dangerous, the stakes are raised exponentially when a commercial truck is involved.
In this disaster, more than just five lives were lost. Two truck drivers also lost their lives in the wreck.
The Facts of the Truck Crash
On January 3rd, a church van full of children from Louisiana was on the way to Disney World with a semi truck traveling nearby. On Interstate 75 near Gainesville, a separate semi truck and car crashed into each other and began to swerve. As the semi lost control, it burst through the metal guardrails separating lanes of traffic.
Two semi trucks, one car and the church van all collided with each other in a matter of seconds. Diesel fuel leaking from one of the vehicles erupted into a massive fireball. A fifth car wasn’t able to avoid the pileup and sped through, possible hitting victims ejected in the crash.
In total, this tragedy took the lives of seven. Five children from the church van and both truck drivers were killed in the crash and subsequent fire. An additional eight others were injured in the chaos, some of them were seriously wounded.
The Facts of the Lawsuit
On Thursday, the mother of a 14-year-old boy lost in the accident filed a lawsuit against one of the truckers and others involved. The lawsuit was filed by an attorney in Palm Beach County.
The attorney representing the mother is requesting an inspection of both semi trucks involved in the collision and a review of both truck drivers’ driving history.
Initial court records show that one of the truck drivers, Steve Holland, has received multiple tickets since 2000. These include tickets for:
- Speeding
- Driving an unsafe vehicle
- Driving an overloaded vehicle
This month, we published an article detailing the dangers of driving an overloaded truck. Statistics also tell us how speed is a major factor in fatal truck accidents. Small decisions, like choosing to take on a bit more cargo or to go a little faster, can have devastating effects when things go wrong.
Contact Brooks Law Group
A great deal of our economy is propped up by cargo transported by tractor trailers. This means that we share the roads with millions of massive metal giants. When something goes wrong with a semi truck, the results are often disastrous.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident with a semi truck, you need a truck accident attorney. At the Brooks Law Group, we’ve been helping our community fight for justice in truck accidents for over 25 years.
Call our offices at 1-800-LAW-3030 or fill out our online case evaluation form to start your case today. You don’t owe us anything unless we recover compensation for your case. Choose the law firm that is dedicated to providing the best client experience possible. Look to Brooks.
