A 33-year-old Florida woman was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer while she was standing beside Interstate 75 and was attempting to put gas in a sport utility vehicle. The fatal accident occurred at about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday beside the northbound lanes at the Southwest 20th Street overpass, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The FHP has identified the victim was Aymee L. Tanis.
Witnesses told FHP troopers that a blue and white 1990 Ford Bronco was stopped in the emergency lane and the victim was pouring gasoline in the tank. Her back was turned to the traffic.
A tractor-trailer bearing the name CV Transport, of Georgia, was heading north in the right-hand lane and crossed the outside white line and struck her, according to troopers at the scene. The woman’s body was thrown 120 feet and landed in the emergency lane. She was dead on the scene.
The truck driver, Earl Bullock, 42, of Georgia, had been driving back after delivering empty egg crates to Tampa, according to the FHP. It was an accident, said Bullock, who appeared very upset after the crash. “It is something that I’ve got to live with for the rest of my life. If I could, I would give her life back.”
David Angry, who works for Safelite AutoGlass, said he witnessed the accident. He was in the center lane and the truck was in the outside lane. All of the sudden, he saw the tractor-trailer veer into the middle lane, Angry said. “I knew what had happened when I saw the truck started veering.” The truck came to a halt about 200 yards from the Bronco.
As a Florida personal injury attorney I have represented many victims of truck accidents. Truck accidents like this underscore the many dangers Florida residents face every day when traveling on Florida's roads. While trucks are necessary commercial vehicles they are dangerous vehicles that are capable of traveling at high speeds and are more difficult to control and take much more distance to stop than your average personal motor vehicle. For this reason truck drivers are regulated and are required to obtain a special license that allows them to drive a truck in Florida.
News Source: Austin Miller, Star-Banner
