I-95 Accident Leaves 4 Dead
Four people got out of their cars following a car accident on Interstate 95 near 103rd Street, only to be fatally run over by another vehicle moments later.
A fifth pedestrian, who had been in one of the cars, was sent to Jackson Memorial Ryder Trauma Center in an “incapacitated” state according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
As reported by The Miami Herald, the series of accidents began around 4:45 a.m. Saturday when an unidentified northbound car crashed into the concrete median wall near 103rd Street, blocking the left express lane.
Another car, a Ford, had pulled over on the shoulder.
“If he saw the first crash, he probably pulled over to check on the other people, at least that’s my assumption,” said Lt. Nathaniel Cain, FHP.
Shortly afterward, a Honda driver in the express lane swerved to avoid the crashed vehicle and lost control, plowing into the group of five people and the Ford.
The driver of the Honda and its passenger were sent to Ryder Trauma, along with the surviving pedestrian.
The newly created express lanes effectively removed the left shoulder emergency lane. When you couple the increased speed with narrower lanes and a lack of an emergency lane, you are dealing with a very dangerous situation.
Experts say, If you can’t get out of your car — or it’s not safe to try — keep your seat belt fastened, turn on your hazard lights, then call 911 if possible and wait for help to arrive. If you can drive your car and are in an unsafe spot or are blocking traffic, find a safe and legal place to park your car (like the shoulder of a highway or a parking lot).
The problem with the above recommendations are that they really do not apply to the high speed lane that does not have an emergency lane/shoulder. For example on I-95 you would have to drive across the 2 high speed lanes and then across another 4 lanes of traffic to reach the right shoulder. The other alternative is to stay in your vehicle-in the high speed lane and hope that the vehicles approaching at high rates of speed will actually see your car and not crash into the back of it-good luck with that.
Mark Kaire has been practicing law in Miami for nearly 15 years. He is dedicated to helping the injured people of Miami receive compensation. Mr. Kaire has been blogging on Miami’s legal issues for 4 years.
