View facing south of U.S. 41 in Tampa, FL at South 34th Ave. (on the right) where a 39 year-old motorist was killed on January 18, 2012.

Tampa is located in Hillsborough County, Florida on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the western part of the state about 201 miles southwest of Jacksonville, 36 miles southwest of Lakeland and about 23 miles east of Clearwater.

The victim was identified as Melvin James Rolfe, 39 years old from Tampa. The accident occurred shortly after 6:00 a.m. on Thursday while Rolfe was traveling southbound on U.S. 41 near South 34th Ave.

A semi trailer was making a left turn onto U.S. 41 northbound from eastbound 34th Ave South. The tractor trailer stopped in the middle of the highway, blocking all southbound lanes of U.S. 41 to yield to traffic in the northbound lanes.

Map showing location of fatal semi truck accident where a 39 year-old motorist was killed on January 18, 2012 at the intersection of South 34th Ave. and U.S. 41 in Tampa, FL.

Rolfe was in a Ford Explorer traveling south on U.S. 41 in the center lane. He braked and swerved to the right in order to avoid hitting the big rig but was unable to and crashed into the truck’s undercarriage. His vehicle became pinned under the 18 wheeler.

The truck driver, Rafael Meireles, 41 years old, also from Tampa, was not injured in the accident.

The accident is currently under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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Tampa Channel 8 news crew injury. Photo credit: WWSB

The injured crewmen were photographer Jim Hockett and reporter Jackie Barron. The accident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday as Barron and Hockett were returning from an assignment in Venice.
Barron and Hockett were taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for observation and where they were treated for minor injuries after the crash.

Don North, Channel 8 news director said, “Both of them are in pretty good shape.”

The Tampa Tribune reports:

The two had finished an assignment in Venice and were headed to a vehicle rollover about 3:30 p.m., said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kenn Watson.

As they headed north in the center lane of Interstate 75 in Sarasota the rear left tire on the News Channel 8 van blew, Watson said. Hockett, who was driving, began to lose control because the van is top heavy with equipment, Watson said.

The van rotated clockwise and overturned. It came to a final stop in the outside lane, Watson said.

Barron was able to get out of the van, but Hockett was trapped inside. Rescue crews assisted in getting him out, North said.

“It took awhile to get Jim out of the vehicle,” North said.

According to News Channel 8 chief engineer, Mark Schaefer, the only serious damage was to the van, which was estimated at $125,000 to $150,000.

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The cab of the semi trailer dangled over the edge above the Intracoastal Waterways.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday morning 32 year old George Gonzales was driving a semi trailer truck west on the Cortez Bridge. Mr. Gonzales was working for Cummings Foods based in Dover, FL and was making a delivery to the Publix Grocery Store in Anna Maria Island.

As the semi tractor truck crossed the bridge between Cortez and Bradenton Beach he encountered an eastbound Volkswagen driven by 43 year old Jonathan Quick of Bradenton Beach, FL.

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As the two vehicles neared each other the truck driver lost control of his semi trailer truck for unknown reasons and crossed into the eastbound lanes of traffic. He was unable to maneuver to avoid a collision and slammed into the VW car.

After hitting the car the 18 wheeler truck continued forward and was finally stopped when it became stuck on the VW. The cab of the semi trailer dangled over the edge above the Intracoastal Waterways. According to officials the semi trailer truck might have gone over the edge and plunged into the water if it had not been stopped by the VW car. The trailer and fuel tanks on the semi truck remained intact and no cargo or diesel fuel were spilled.

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Manatee County Safety Department officers and emergency personnel responded to the scene of the truck accident. Both drivers suffered minor injuries in the collision and were treated at the scene.

Officers shut down a section of the Cortez Bridge in both directions surrounding the truck accident site while rescue personnel worked and investigators reconstructed the collision. Traffic was stopped and drivers were directed to take the Manatee Avenue Bridge. A wrecker was brought in to remove the disabled semi truck from the bridge edge and remove it from the traffic lanes. All lanes on the bridge were reopened shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

Officers investigating the truck accident have not determined why the truck driver, Mr. Gonzales, lost control of his rig and crossed into the eastbound lanes of traffic. It is not known if drugs or alcohol are factors in the collision.

No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

After crashing into the rear of the 18 wheeler, Mr. Colon's Chrysler became stuck under the trailer of the truck. Authorities report that the smaller vehicle exploded and then burst into flames, engulfing the car and the two victims.

At around 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, March 6th, 22 year old Evan L. Colon of Pahokee, FL and an unidentified female passenger were traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 27 in a Chrysler 300 vehicle.

As Mr. Colon drove through the 7000 block area of U.S. 27 near mile marker 60 he slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer truck driven by 73 year old Juan Ramon Rodriguez of Hialeah, FL. Mr. Rodriguez was hauling a load of sugar cane at the time of the truck accident.

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According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, there were reports that Mr. Colon was driving at an excessive rate of speed at the time of the truck accident.

After crashing into the rear of the 18 wheeler, Mr. Colon’s Chrysler became stuck under the trailer of the truck. Authorities report that the smaller vehicle exploded and then burst into flames, engulfing the car and the two victims.

Local emergency and rescue teams arrived at the truck accident scene and extinguished the fiery crash. However, it would take hours for rescue personnel and highway workers to pull the semi truck and the Chrysler apart.

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By the time the fire was put out and the vehicles separated, Mr. Colon and his female passenger had already died from the injuries sustained in the truck accident. Authorities believe that the two victims died instantly upon impact of the Chrysler 300 and the trailer truck. Both were pronounced dead at the scene of the fiery collision.

The trailer truck driver, Mr. Rodriquez, suffered minor injuries, primarily to his face. He was treated at the scene of the truck accident, and there were no reports that his injuries required transport to the hospital.

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Accident investigators from Palm Beach County have determined that weather conditions such as fog or smoke were not factors in the fatal truck accident. There were also no reports of precipitation on the highway surface at the time of the collision.

Authorities have stated that the Chrysler 300 was moving at a high rate of speed and it does not appear that Mr. Colon applied his brakes prior to rear ending the tractor trailer truck.

No charges or citations have been made at this time, and the truck accident remains under investigation.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) media release, the driver of the big rig, 76-year-old Yerasimos Drakatos, stated that he was driving his 18 wheeler east on I-10 with the cruise control on and he was moving about 67 to 68 mph. He was approaching State Road 77 when he felt a large explosion, looked into his rear view mirror and saw dust and debris flying from the back. 

Drakatos, who was not injured in the tractor trailer accident, pulled over and discovered that a Dodge Caravan was pinned under his trailer. The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Below is a Google street view of the I-10 near State Road 77 where the semi truck accident occurred. You can click the mouse button and drag it around to pan around the scene of the accident.

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For more information about truck accident law, contact a Florida truck accident attorney at 1.800.773.6770.

Two-truck crash near Orlando, FL involving a FedEx trailer and another big rig hauling hardware store products. Photo credit: Florida Highway Patrol

The driver of the FedEx truck was Jorge Dipre, 38 years old from Port St. Lucie, FL. The driver of the other semi truck was Carl W. Van Wasshnova, 54 years old from Port Orange, FL, who was killed in the accident.

Location of the fatal semi truck accident near Orlando Florida

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) the FedEx semi truck was pulling two trailers and was driving northbound on the exit ramp to Orange Blossom Trail and another semi was hauling a load of hardware store products and was travelling on the southbound ramp when it crossed over the concrete median and guardrail and collided with the FedEx truck splitting the trailers in two. One of the severed trailers overturned onto the east shoulder of the exit ramp.

The FHP said that Van Wasshnova was taken by ambulance to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. According to the FHP he may have had a medical condition that caused him to lose control of his rig. The crash remains under investigation.

Dipre, the FedEx driver, was not injured in the accident.

Below is a Google street view of the Florida Turnpike. You can click and drag the mouse button to pan around the scene of the accident and get a feel for the lay of the land.

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Contact a Florida truck accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Orlando, Florida. Find a truck accident lawyer at TruckAccidents360.com today who specializes in representing victims involved in truck injury accidents.

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Thirty nine chidren involved in school bus and Terminix truck accident. near Tampa, Florida

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the school bus and the truck were traveling in opposite directions on 21st Ave. SE when they crashed. Deputies say the truck driver was signaling to turn left but instead continued to drive straight, while the school bus, also signaling to turn left on to 6th St. SE, turned directly into the path of the truck driver.

Deputies say there were 39 children on board the bus headed to Beth Shields Middle School at the time of the accident. Ten were transported to local hospitals with injuries that appeared to be only minor. The bus driver, Olga Guerrero, was also transported to Brandon Hospital after complaining of injury. The driver of the truck, Douglas Hayes, was not hurt.

Deputies say Guerrero was cited for a right-of-way violation. The bus was heavily damaged and was taken to the Hillsborough County Transportation Department to see if it could be repaired.

Contact a Florida truck accident lawyer if you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Wisconsin. Find a Florida truck accident attorney at TruckAccidents360.com today who specializes in representing victims involved in truck injury accidents.

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Tampa truck accident involving Walmart Semi Trailer

The driver of the 1991 Toyota van was reportedly driving south on I-275 at a high rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic. The van driver apparently lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the guardrail at Floribraska Avenue according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

After slamming into the guardrail the van moved back onto the road and into the path of the Wal-Mart truck. The truck pushed the Toyota van until both vehicles came to a stop.

Sgt. Larry Kraus, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol stated that “The van was driving erratically according to [a] witness and changed lanes in front of the tractor trailer.”

Kraus continued that at approximately 7:40 p.m. the minivan was hit in the rear by the Wal-Mart truck. One of the van’s passengers was ejected due to the impact. The other passenger had to be extracted from the van which was pinned under the trailer truck.

The van’s passengers were identified as Cliatt Adelbert, 53 years old of Tampa, FL and Victure White, 49 years old also from Tampa. Both van passengers were transported to Tampa General Hospital and it is believed they both suffered serious injuries.

The Wal-Mart truck driver was identified as James Ronald Busch, 54 years old of Nicholls, GA. Mr. Busch was not injured in the crash. However the damages to his trailer truck were estimated at about $7000.

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Due to the accident Florida troopers closed down three lanes of Interstate 275 Wednesday night as they investigated the collision. The accident remains under investigation and charges are pending.

Contact a Tampa truck accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Tampa, Florida. Find a Florida truck accident lawyer at TruckAccidents360.com today who specializes in representing victims involved in truck injury accidents.