Georgia truck driver killed in semi crash on I-75

Staff report

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A 55-year-old man from Fitzgerald, GA, was killed last night and his 10-year-old female passenger suffered minor injuries in a crash between two tractor-trailers on I-75 in Alachua County.

At about 2:36 a.m., a semi driven by a 34-year-old Miami Gardens man was traveling at a slower rate of speed in the right lane of the interstate, just south of the rest area at mile marker 379, when the semi driven by the Georgia man hit it from the rear. The Miami Gardens man was not injured in the crash.

Alachua County Fire Rescue, Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR), and the Micanopy Fire Department responded to the crash, extricated the Georgia man, and transported him to a local trauma center. His passenger was able to get out of the truck on her own and was also transported to the hospital. GFR’s HazMat team responded to assist with a large diesel spill.

The accident is being investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol.

  • Asleep at the wheel. Will be interested in the information from the electronic log book drivers are required to have.

    • Even if the logs are legal the reality of having to drive shifting schedules can still flip your circadian rhythms to where you can drive eyes wide open and still be unaware of what’s going on. This is why train crews, commercial air pilots, etc. are screaming. It’s only going to get worse.

  • What was a 55-y.o. man doing with a 10-y.o. female passenger???

    • It was his daughter and she enjoyed traveling with him. This is my ex husband’s family member.

      • School’s out and she was enjoying spending some time with daddy, probably only way she could to any real degree given his work, as well as get to see some of the country…one experience she could do without.

      • Sorry for the family’s loss. We knew them from Brackettville, Tx

  • Usually when I pass a semi on the interstate they wind up drifting over toward my car. Why is this?? Almost every one I pass I have to go wide because it looks like they are coming over.

    • Your vehicle changes the airflow around the semi. Much like an aircraft wing it creates a lower pressure where you are, pulling it your way slightly. You will have more effect on an empty box rig than a fully loaded or flat bed unit.

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