Tragic Truck Crash on I-75 Kills Clearwater Residents

Imagine being cut off by a driver on the freeway in such an aggressive manner that you had no time to react, and the other vehicle just slams right into yours. Imagine now that the other driver’s vehicle weighs 50,000 pounds and yours weighs only 5,000. A force like that could literally rip your car in half. This is reportedly what happened to three members of a five-person family in Pasco County, Florida, on Interstate-75 on January 8, 2022, with tragic results.

Danielle Prieto (53), a former member of the Millburn, New Jersey, Board of Education, her husband Alfred (57), and their youngest of three sons, Antonio (16) were killed instantly when a semi-truck crashed into them at 9:53 pm. The semi-truck was going south near mile marker 283 in the center lane, while the SUV had been in the “slow lane.” The Florida Highway Patrol closed all lanes north- and south-bound of Interstate-75 for over six hours as they went through their emergency protocol and then began collecting evidence for the investigation. Neither the truck driver nor his passenger had any injuries.

If you lost loved ones in a truck crash, you have legal rights. Always contact a dedicated Clearwater truck accident lawyer for a free case evaluation.

How Common Are Truck Accidents Like These?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety published the following truck accident statistics:

• In the year 2019, semi-trucks were to blame for three-fourths of the larger vehicle roadway accidents that occurred.
• More than 4,000 people died in big truck accidents in 2019. Just 16 percent of those truck accident victims who didn’t survive were the truck drivers themselves. This means that the large majority of those who perish in truck accidents are in the smaller car. The other minority who died in truck collisions were pedestrians and bicyclists (15 percent).
• When it comes to truck accidents, the most dangerous roads are highways and busy thoroughfares, which see more than 50 percent of truck accidents. In 2019, just 15 percent of semi-truck crashes were on side streets, and only 34 percent were on the interstate.
• In the decade between 2009 to 2019, the number of people who did not survive semi-truck crashes climbed by one-third.
• According to federal law, semi-truck operators can drive for 11 hours straight without stopping.
• A fully loaded tractor-trailer requires as much as 40 percent more time to come to a full stop than a car. If the road is not dry, that time is even longer.
• The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that most fatal truck accidents occur in rural zones.
• The number of truck crash fatalities is climbing.

If You’ve Been Injured by a Semi-Truck, Contact Our Clearwater Accident Lawyers Today

Tragos, Sartes & Tragos is a Clearwater truck accident law firm eager to help you recover financially and navigate the insurance claim process, whether you have a personal injury or wrongful death claim. See what we can do for you - contact one of our lawyers today for a free consultation, or give our office a call at (727) 441-9030.