A 57-year-old man, a 53-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy, all of Clearwater Beach, were killed in a vehicle crash Saturday night in Pasco County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. . .
Troopers say a tractor-trailer driven by a 55-year-old man from Miami was traveling southbound on I-75 adjacent to the SUV carrying the people from Clearwater Beach. When the tractor-trailer changed lanes, it entered the path of the SUV, which collided with the left rear portion of the tractor-trailer.
All three occupants of the SUV died at the scene. FHP: 2 adults, 1 teen killed after SUV hits tractor-trailer changing lanes on I-75 in Pasco County
Alfred Prieto, Danielle Prieto, and their youngest son, Antonio Prieto were killed when a truck changing lanes on Interstate 75 struck their SUV around 10 p.m. last Friday, NJ Advance Media reports. All three were pronounced dead at the scene, and all were wearing seatbelts. NJ Parents, Teen Gymnast Son Killed In Florida Remembered (TRIBUTE)
Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.
See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)
Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.
Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.
Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.
