Georgia Truck Driver’s Rig Crashes in Florida Pileup
A Marietta man was involved in a six-vehicle truck accident on I-75 in Florida on Monday, August 1, according to ABC 10 News Tampa. The Georgia man, Jerry Davis, 63, was driving a semi truck southbound on the freeway when the accident occurred. A pickup truck on the southbound side of I-75 wove in and out of traffic, cutting off a different tractor-trailer. That vehicle changed lanes to avoid the pickup, and struck the back of a Honda Odyssey. Then, the trailer of the first semi struck the second semi that Davis was driving. This caused Davis’ truck to move into another lane, where it collided with a 2010 Buick.
Gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the freeway, and the freeway was closed for the rest of the day while workers milled and swept away the asphalt to clean up the spill. No serious injuries were reported from the accident, but hundreds of drivers were delayed for hours in the traffic jam that resulted from the road closure. According to NBC News 8 Tampa, the northbound lanes of the freeway did not reopen until 1 am the morning following the tractor-trailer accident. Besides Davis, the other drivers involved in the accident were from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and several cities in Florida.
Accident Victims Can Choose Where to Sue
If you are driving on an interstate freeway, chances are high that any car accident that occurs will involve drivers from multiple states. If you’re driving state to state, you could be in an accident far from Georgia. So what happens if you need to sue another driver? The victim of an accident can sue the defendant in a state court where the defendant lives, in the county where the wreck occurred under Georgia’s non-resident motorist act, or in federal court if complete diversity of citizenship exists among the parties. If there are multiple people involved, the court will probably decide to hold the trial close to where the events that led to the lawsuit took place. If one of the people involved in the lawsuit believe that it’s impossible to get a fair trial in a particular location (perhaps because the events are too famous in that location so jurors have already formed an opinion of what happened), they can request to move the trial somewhere more neutral.
Davis Could Sue in Florida State or Federal Court
If you are the victim of an accident in another state, you need to consider all locations where suit may be filed. In the Florida accident, Davis was the only Georgia resident, and several other people involved in the accident were from different locations in Florida. Also, the accident occurred in Florida, and most of the evidence and witnesses are probably still near Tampa. This means that Davis would have a hard time convincing a court to have the trial in Georgia. However, Davis may experience less bias against his case as an out-of-stater if he sued in federal court. The court would usually apply the substantive laws of Florida during the trial.
Get Legal Help
If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident, you need legal help fast. Get in touch with an experienced auto accident attorney at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County today to get the compensation you deserve.
