Driver Dies After Dump Truck Crashes, Overturns in Brevard County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 11, 2019

On Monday, October 7th, a tragic incident occurred within Brevard County, resulting in the death of one individual and the injury of another. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the incident began close to noon when the tire on a dump truck began to separate from the vehicle as it was being driven down the Pineda Causeway. What exactly happened to cause the tire to begin to loosen from the truck is not clear, but in the following moments it appears that the dump truck collided with a guardrail.

After striking the guardrail, the dump truck flipped over. It is not known if the truck was full of garbage at the time of the crash with the guardrail, a possibility that would put the truck at far more weight than if it were simply empty. Whether or not it was full or empty, after hitting the guardrail and overturning the dump truck then caught fire. Videos taken by individuals and authorities at the scene showed the damaged vehicle with dark black smoke pouring out of it. Emergency response crews were alerted to the crash shortly after it took place and soon there were numerous EMTs and paramedics rushing to the location.

The force of the crash caused the front of the truck to collapse in such a way as to leave the driver almost completely trapped within their vehicle. As a result, they were not able to free themselves from cab after the fire erupted.

An individual driving down the opposite direction of the highway as the dump truck pulled over upon seeing the crash, ran across the highway, climbed on top of the truck with a small fire extinguisher in his hand, and tried to pull the badly injured individual from the cab of the truck. Sadly, the efforts of this would-be rescuer were not enough and he was not able to free the trapped driver.

By the time the EMTs and paramedics arrived at the scene, it was too late to do anything for the driver and they were declared dead at the scene. The individual with the fire extinguisher was also injured in the accident and rushed to a nearby hospital. It is believed that their injuries were not life-threatening.

An investigation into the reasons behind the crash remains underway.

Sources:

• Driver dies when dump truck overturns, catches fire on Pineda Causeway

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.