The Florida Highway Patrol recently tweeted a reminder to Floridians to move over for emergency vehicles after serious injuries to a trooper in an accident near Jacksonville.
According to the tweet, a trooper was seriously injured while out assisting traffic during a construction lane closure on I-95. He was sitting inside his patrol vehicle when it was struck from behind by another car. He, along with the driver of the vehicle that hit him, were transported to UF Health Jax, where they were treated for serious injuries.
Drivers are required under 2002’s Florida Move Over Law to either move or yield the right of way to emergency vehicles. Violations of the law can result in a $500 fine and three points on the driver’s license.
Drivers must pay attention to their surroundings
Drivers should always pay careful attention to their surroundings. This becomes especially important in construction zones, where space is limited, and where there are much more likely to be potential hazards, be they cones, construction equipment, construction workers or trucks entering or exiting a job site.
Emergency vehicles will have their lights flashing when you need to move over for them, so it should hopefully be easy to notice their presence, but it is still up to each individual driver to make sure they’re following the rules of the road and giving emergency vehicles plenty of space to pass by and get to their destination.
For more information about the responsibilities each driver has on the road and what legal options you have available if you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a driver who flouted those responsibilities, contact an experienced Manatee County, FL personal injury lawyer at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh.