Commercial Vehicle Strikes & Kills Traffic Worker Near Mims

In late December 2025, a traffic worker was killed when a commercial truck struck his vehicle near Mims. The worker had been in a CMTI truck – a type of service vehicle with a screen to help manage the flow of traffic, using arrows to direct vehicles around an accident or other blockage – and the commercial driver “failed to slow down” and struck its rear, later claiming he could not see the arrow board. While any accident on Florida roads is serious, injuring or killing a state worker can sometimes have additional penalties for a negligent driver.

Commercial Vehicles Create More Injuries & Fatalities

Due to their size and shape, commercial vehicles are unfortunately disproportionately represented in the statistics for casualties in road accidents. While a CMTI truck is not a small vehicle, it is nowhere near as large or heavy as a fully loaded commercial truck, and the sheer force of impact can cause injury and death more frequently than in accidents with smaller vehicles. The commercial vehicle in the Mims accident allegedly failed to see the arrow board on the CMTI truck, and thus did not brake or swerve at all before impact.

According to state troopers, the two inside the CMTI truck “did everything right,” but the commercial driver’s failure to see the arrow board meant a serious impact. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. The commercial driver did stay on scene to provide assistance, but may still face some kind of civil penalties even if no charges are brought over the worker’s passing.

Workers’ Compensation vs Lawsuit?

Traffic workers are often state employees in Florida, though they may be independent contractors or work for a company contracted to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). Regardless, when they are on the job, they are almost always covered under Florida’s workers’ compensation system, even in the event of someone’s passing while on the proverbial clock. Normally, this means that a claim for wrongful death could not also be mounted – but it is possible in some respects.

If the state’s workers’ compensation system grants benefits to a decedent’s family, to also obtain a monetary jury award would be seen as a windfall – inherently inequitable. To remedy this, Florida law allows for what is known as subrogation. Subrogation allows an insurer to be repaid out of the proceeds of a jury award – that way, the decedent’s family still receive damages for what they have been through, but the insurer is also made whole by recouping the funds they paid out (if any).

Contact A Tampa Commercial Vehicle Accident Attorney

It is too soon to tell what, if any, legal consequences the Mims commercial driver might face. If you have been involved in an accident with a state worker, a Tampa truck accident attorney from the Rinaldo Law Group can help you know your options. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation.

Source:

kbtx.com/2025/12/23/traffic-worker-killed-when-semi-driver-plowed-into-vehicle-with-arrow-board-troopers-say/