Fatal Crash on County Line Road
A car accident occurred on County Line Road in Lakeland, Florida this morning killed Matthew Grube. Grube was only 24 years old. The accident occurred at approximately 6:19 a.m. when a semi-truck driven by Timothy Chism, 39, of West Memphis, Arkansas was stopped at Dranefield Road to make a left turn. The right rear of Chism's trailer was partially blocking the roadway and Grube struck part of the rear of the trailer and then spun. Grube was driving a 2000 Hyundai. Grube died at the scene.
This accident clearly involves some element of negligence on the driver of the semi-truck for partially blocking the roadway. While Grube may have been able to avoid the collision, Florida law permits the recovery of comparative fault as opposed to contributory fault. Under the old contributory fault system, the plaintiff had to be in no way partially responsible for the accident. Hence, a contributory fault plaintiff must be squeaky clean. In the world of comparative fault, which is the current law in Florida, the plaintiff is allowed to collect his or her damages minus any percentage attributable to them. Thus, Grube would have had a reasonable expectation that other vehicles obey the law and maintain their respective lanes. When one vehicle invades the lane, such as what appears to have happened here, the invading vehicle is guilty of some negligence because other drivers are not able to fully utilize the lane for travel (as opposed to completely blocking the lane which should be an obvious indicator for other motorists when the appropriate light signals are used). If you or a loved one knows of someone who has suffered a wrongful death, please contact a personal injury or wrongful death attorney to discuss the facts and circumstances of the case. Our Lakeland personal injury lawyers and wrongful death attorneys can help you sort through the different rights and responsibilities. A consultation with one of our Lakeland personal injury or wrongful death attorneys is free.
