One person is in critical condition after a six-car chain-reaction auto accident involving a tractor-trailer leaves a terrible scene on a Florida turnpike. The accident occurred on a Wednesday morning in Southwest Miami-Dade County.
A highway patrol officer told reporters that the tractor-trailer was forced to swerve away from a wheelbarrow that happened to be on the road, which caused the tractor-trailer to fall on its side. Other vehicles were unable to move around the tractor-trailer in time and wrecked in the pileup accident.
The patrol officer says that the cause of the accident was an unsecured load—the wheelbarrow—that fell from a pickup truck.
Is There a Law Against Unsecure Loads in Florida?
Florida statute 316.520 states that all vehicles are prohibited from driving on a highway unless they are loaded in a way that prevents cargo from dropping. This would also include other objects that can leak, blow, shift or otherwise fall out of the vehicle. In fact, it is required that certain loads, such as dirt, sand, rocks and other similar earth matter that could fall out or blow away be covered with a tarpaulin or similar cover.
In some instances, such as the case with a commercial driver with an unsecure load, multiple parties could be at fault for your injury. If you have been injured in a crash caused by an unsecure load, then you will need to seek an attorney who knows these types of accidents and has the experience to prove how a negligent driver was at fault.
Check out our firm’s legal blog to see how we help personal injury victims throughout the state of Florida.
Source: http://www.local10.com/news/sb-lanes-of-floridas-turnpike-closed-at-tamiami-trail/32126122