Tractor trailer drivers are usually some of the best-trained drivers on the roadways. They typically have to undergo both classroom training and then on-the-road training before they become drivers for shipping companies. Despite this fact, the number of fatal tractor-trailer accidents has been on the rise in recent years. Many of the fatalities are other motorists. Because of this rise, many advocacy groups are calling on shipping companies to require safety features like speed limiters, automatic emergency braking, and backup cameras.
The Ocala Star-Banner reports on a tractor-trailer accident that claimed the life of an infant and left several family members hospitalized.
The four-vehicle crash happened on February 1st on State Road 40. The accident happened when a tractor-trailer drifted into the lane of the vehicle occupied for the family.
Initially, the Florida Highway Patrol troopers investigated the accident, but the investigation has been passed off to the Florida Highway Patrol’s Advanced Investigation Reconstruction team.
28-year-old Ashley K. Borja was released from the hospital. 31-year-old Juan G. Robles Vallespi is still in the hospital but in stable condition. Elijah Borja, who is 16-months old, was held for observation and released on the Saturday following the accident. 4-year-old K’Ley Borja remains in critical condition. 8-year-old Mia Figueroa, who suffered from a punctured lung and broken femurs, remains hospitalized.
6-week-old Zoe Robles Vallespi was killed in the accident.