While Florida trucking accidents are almost always tragic in that they lead to many injuries and often lead to fatalities as well, not everyone has an equal chance in a truck accident. Due to the unique nature of trucks as well as their size and weight, some individuals are especially vulnerable in Florida trucking accidents:
1) Bicyclists. Bicyclists are not surrounded by a protective layer of metal, the way occupants in passenger vehicles are. Passenger vehicles are specifically designed to shield passengers in the event of a collision. There are seat belts, air bags, and other safety features intended to protect occupants. Bicyclists do not have these advantages. When hit by a truck in a Florida bicycle accident involving a truck, bicyclists are likely to sustain very severe injuries and have a high risk of fatal injuries.
2) Pedestrians. Like bicyclists, pedestrians are not protected by any external car or safety features. Worse, when an adult is struck by a truck, the truck’s relatively flat front usually means a sizeable area of impact and trauma. For an adult, being hit by a truck usually means substantial injuries to the head and abdomen area – injuries which often prove fatal. In fact, research has proven that Florida pedestrian accidents involving trucks are more fatal than pedestrian accidents involving cars.
3) Young children and minors. Even when children are protected by the safety features and the external structure of a passenger vehicle, they may be vulnerable to more injuries in Florida trucking accidents. One problem is that many safety features – such as airbags, for example – are in fact designed for adults and can be dangerous for child passengers. For this reason, it is important to always use age-appropriate child safety seats and safety restraints.
4) Motorcyclists. Like pedestrians and pedestrians, motorcyclists do not have the advantage of being surrounded by the safety features and the metal cage of a car. Worse, in a Florida trucking accident involving a motorcycle, the motorcycle itself can become a danger. It can land on the motorcyclist, crushing bones. It can slide under a truck, dragging the motorcyclist along. In many Florida burn injuries involving motorcycle accidents, the fuel tank of the motorcycle ignites in a collision, causing a fire and burn injuries. As well, since motorcyclists can travel faster than pedestrians or bicyclists, they can collide with a truck at a greater speed, causing even more injury and creating an even greater risk.
5) The elderly. The elderly often have lower bone density, which makes them more vulnerable to broken bones and serious injuries in a traffic accident, even when protected in a passenger vehicle.
If you have been injured in a Florida trucking accident, contact the Flaxman Group for a free accident consultation. The compassionate and experienced team at the Flaxman Group have helped many clients in the Hollywood, Homestead, and Miami, Florida area as they recover from Florida trucking accidents. We have decades of experience so that you can negotiate from a position of strength.