Semi Overturns on Florida Turnpike Spilling Lumber

This past Saturday, the Florida Highway Patrol as well as other emergency response services for Lake County were called to the 276th mile marker of the Florida Turnpike in Lake County. Receiving reports of an overturned tractor trailer as well as debris scattered across the road, the FHP and affiliated emergency services rushed to the scene. What they found there was, as described, an overturned truck. The debris, however, turned out to be far more than just pieces of a vehicle. The tractor trailer in question had been hauling lumber northbound on the Turnpike, and when the incident occurred that caused the truck to overturn, it also resulted in the lumber being scattered across the entire roadway.

While the details relating to the situation are only scantily supplied in the official report from the Florida Highway Patrol, it seems as though the driver of the semi-truck— who has not been named or described in any detail—was in the left lane of the Turnpike’s northbound lanes when the incident occurred. For reasons that are not clear, the driver of the truck allowed the massive vehicle to swerve off of the road and onto the highway’s shoulder. The driver of the truck, in an attempt to pull the truck back onto the highway, wound up swinging the wheel too far in the other direction, causing the vehicle to become out of control.

In the following scramble to stabilize the swerving vehicle, the truck overturned, causing the heavy load of lumber to burst from the restraining chains and cords and scatter across the entire roadway.

This incident occurred around 5:30 in the evening, meaning that traffic at the time would likely be heavier than usual as drivers began the commute home. As of this time, there are no reports of any additional cars involved in the incident, and the Florida Highway Patrol stated that the northbound lanes were closed for just over two hours while the roadway was cleared.

The report from the Florida Highway Patrol failed to mention the condition of the driver, but it did indicate that the investigation into the events that transpired to cause the accident were still very much underway.

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.