Cement Truck Accident in Pasco Leaves Three People in Serious Condition

Three people were taken to the hospital in serious condition after a cement truck smashed into three cars earlier this month in Odessa, Florida.

The 39-year-old Port Richey truck driver blames the accident on brake failure. He suffered minor injuries.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the truck, owned by A-Plus Masonry & Concrete Pumping in Odessa, traveled south on State Road 54 and cut through the westbound lanes and through a grassy median before slamming into three cars stopped in the eastbound lanes.

One victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital and the two others were transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital.

A 50-year-old woman, a 37-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman were each listed in serious, but stable condition following the collision.

Many people do not realize the dangers that cement truck accidents pose to everyone sharing the roadways. The sheer size of these trucks and the fact that they are highly susceptible to rollovers can increase the risk for severe injuries and even death when accidents do occur. Most of these trucks weigh around 26,000 pounds, and due to the truck’s high center of gravity, cement trucks can easily rollover when making a ninety degree turn traveling at speeds as low as five miles per hour. In most situations, cement must be delivered within 90 minutes of being loaded on the truck before it hardens. This time constraint can place added pressure on a truck driver and result in unsafe driving behaviors that can amplify the chances of a tragic collision.

Cement trucks, like other large trucks on the road, have major blind spots. When a car is directly behind a truck of this size, the truck driver is often unable to view the vehicle. Additionally, the weight of the wet cement in combination with the truck’s high center of gravity makes it unstable. Should any part of the truck’s machinery malfunction, due to driver inexperience, driver error or simply a design defect, anyone near the truck is placed at an extreme risk for catastrophic injuries. When a cement truck driver lacks the proper training needed or blatantly disobeys the rules and regulations imposed on these trucks to keep roads safe, the odds of an accident happening are greatly increased.

The slightest negligence or malfunction can lead to a serious and fatal accident truck accident. If you or a loved one has sustained injuries in a cement truck accident, contact the Pasco County Truck Accident Attorneys online or call 1-727-847-2299.