Dan T. Rutherford, an Okeechobee truck driver, died Monday, November 16, 2009, following a traffic crash on State Road 60 in Lake Wales, FL.
According to the Lakeland Ledger, Rutherford, whose age was not available, around 1:30 p.m. near the 100 block of S.R. 60 East in Lake Wales, FL , was driving a Peterbilt dump truck, that was pulling a utility trailer and heading east on S.R. 60 in Lake Wales, FL.
Rutherford's truck suddenly veered left of the road, crossed the grass embankment on the south side of the road and struck a palm tree, according to the Lake Wales police report.
Rutherford was unresponsive when emergency workers arrived and he was taken to Lake Wales Medical Center in Lake Wales, Fl, where he died of his injuries, reports said.
The cause of his death has not been determined and the crash remains under investigation.
Fifty-eight percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to thirty-one percent of personal injury crashes and thirty-one percent of property-damage crashes, according to a 2008 Fatalitity Anaysis Report.
According to the U.S Department of Transportation, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among Americans 1-34 years, the total societal cost of crashes exceeds $230 billion annually. Contributing to the death toll are alcohol, speed, and various other driver behaviors plus the kinds of vehicles people drive and the roads on which they travel.
Motor vehicle travel is the primary means of transportation in the United States, providing an unprecedented degree of mobility. Yet for all its advantages, deaths and injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause fatalities accounted for nearly 95 percent of transportation-related fatalities. deaths, injuries, and economic losses from motor vehicle crashes in the United States. Fortunately, much progress has been made in reducing the number of of deaths and serious injuries on our Nation's highways.
In 2008, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT) fell to a historic low of 1.27. The 1998 rate was 1.58 per 100 million VMT.
The National Occupant Protection Use Survey(NOPUS) reported a 82-percent seat belt use rate nationwide for 2008. Data has also shown a decrease in the number of fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, from 12,546 in 1998 to 11,774 in 2008. However, much remains to be done. The economic cost alone of motor vehicle crashes in 2000 was $230.6 billion.
In my experience as a personal injury attorney, practicing in Polk County, FL, I have seen a staggering number of automobile accidents along SR 60 in Polk County, FL. Unfortunately, many of these collisions were fatal. The lack of traffic lights, grassy median and high speed limit can be a recipe for disaster. As a fellow driver, I caution all Polk County, FL drivers to exercise extreme caution while driving this roadway. Be a defensive driver and never let your guard down!
