- A 27-year-old died after hitting a semi-tractor trailer in Florida.
- The driver and his Dodge Challenger ended up pinned almost completely beneath the trailer.
- The situation highlights just how important it is to remain alert when behind the wheel.
Florida Highway Patrol responded to a catastrophic accident on July 1st. When they arrived they found a Dodge Challenger almost completely wedged under a semi-truck trailer. The only occupant, a 27-year-old Gainesville man, died on the scene and became a warning example to all the rest of us.
Authorities say it’s unclear what caused the crash at this point. Witnesses say the driver veered off of the highway around 4 p.m. and hit the trailer which was already parked on the shoulder. Marion County Fire and Rescue arrived at 4:22 and began working to secure the scene and remove the car from its position.
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To accomplish that, technical rescue specialists actually lifted the trailer while tugging on the muscle car. Thankfully, nobody else was in the vehicle. In addition, the driver of the semi-truck, a 63-year-old man, is reportedly okay as well.
It’s unclear why he was parked on the side of the road, but could face some liability for the crash if he didn’t have safety triangles out behind the truck. Florida law requires drivers to place at least three safety triangles within ten minutes of stopping in a situation like this.
At the same time, the evidence appears to suggest that the Dodge driver might not have had time to stop even if there were triangles out. We’ve seen several crashes like this one where a car ends up pinned under a trailer.
In almost all cases though, the car doesn’t get anywhere near as far beneath the trailer as this one did. That would seem to indicate that the Dodge driver didn’t have sufficient time to slow down.
In addition, it’s a great reminder to stay alert and focused when behind the wheel. There’s no way to know how a driver could miss a trailer like this but distraction could play a role. It’s notable that there are no tire marks from hard braking leading up to the crash site.