Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed In 2025 Turnpike Crash Case
In April 2025, a truck driver attempted to make a U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike and ultimately failed, leading to a sedan with three occupants striking the truck in a fatal underride accident. The three were pronounced deceased at the scene, and the truck driver was charged with vehicular homicide. In June 2026, the first wrongful death lawsuit was filed in the case, by the surviving family.
Multiple Defendants Listed
A wrongful death lawsuit can be brought by the decedent’s personal representative, on behalf of their surviving family. In Florida, a wrongful death is one that is caused by the wrongful act, “negligence, default, [or] breach of contract or warranty” of another person – in other words, the death would not have occurred but for the alleged misdeeds of the defendant or defendants (Florida law allows an injured plaintiff or next of kin to name multiple defendants if it can be shown that they all might have played a role in the wrongful death).
In the Florida’s Turnpike case, the Joseph family sought to name not only the driver as a defendant, but the driver’s employer, both generally and by naming an individual manager, and a freight broker, C.H. Robinson. While the freight broker appeared to have been added in error and has been dismissed as a defendant as of this writing, there are still many parties from whom the family may seek monetary damages for their loss.
Why Is This Case Important?
While any wrongful death case has the possibility of bringing some closure to a grieving family, this one has the potential to be particularly important in Florida law because it may quell the discussions that have circulated after the original accident. For example, the question of whether the defendant driver was competent to drive a tractor-trailer was discussed, with aspersions cast upon his ability to speak and understand English (which is relevant to the underlying criminal charges) and his allegedly undocumented immigration status (which is not).
If this tragic situation should be discussed any further, it should be within the confines of assessing wrongful death and getting bereaved families some closure. Attempting to use this case as a sort of stalking horse to suggest punitive laws against undocumented people when the driver’s immigration status is not strictly relevant to the question of liability, as Florida’s attorney general has done in this case, smacks of politicizing tragedy. The victims in this case deserve better.
Contact A Tampa Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney
If you have been involved in a crash with a tractor-trailer, it is a good idea to consult an attorney to see if you may be able to recover your damages. If you have lost a loved one in this type of crash, a Tampa wrongful death attorney from the Rinaldo Law Group may be able to help you hold the defendant or defendants accountable. Call our office today to schedule a consultation.
