Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City & Inverness, Florida Accident Attorney and Alachua County DUI Lawyer Blogs

It is Time for the Legislature to Not be Asleep at the Wheel!

The semi driver, Reinaldo Andujar Gonzalez, 30, was arrested on Tuesday April 21, 2009, on charges of vehicular homicide and reckless driving with serious bodily injury for the death of a Marion County student in September 2008.  The devastating aftermath left a school bus in flames and an 8^th grade student dead.

 Vehicular homicide, a second degree felony, is the killing of another human caused by operation of a motor vehicle in a reckless manner that is likely to cause death or great bodily injury to the victim.  If convicted of vehicular homicide, Gonzalez could be:

• imprisoned for up to 15 years;
• fined up to $10,000; and
• ordered to serve 120 community service hours in a hospital that serves victims of car accidents.            

 Gonzalez was arrested on lesser charges than Jacksonville trucker Alvin Wilkerson, who slammed into the rear of car that was safely stopped behind a school bus on S.R. 121 in Union County in 2006, killing seven children.  Like Gonzalez, Wilkerson was alleged to be asleep at the wheel.

Wilkerson was arrested on seven counts of vehicular homicide and manslaughter, also a second degree felony.

Wilkerson is currently serving 7 years in prison for pleading no contest.  He is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2015, subject to gain time. 

Except for a short rest, Wilkerson had been awake 34 hours prior to the accident that killed the seven children, ranging in age from 20 months to 15 years. It is reported that Wilkerson had a dog in his cab at the time of the accident that may have been another driving distraction.  

As an experienced personal injury lawyer I do not think it is just truckers that are "asleep at the wheel".  I think it is time for our legislators to wake up and pass legislature reform to make our roads safer. Reform that includes moving school bus stops from highways, reducing the number of hours truckers can driver per day,  forcing trucking companies to take responsibility for their drivers and make big rig drivers and cell phone use illegal.  For more of my opinions on this please see, Asleep at the Wheel?  

Sleeplessness to Blame In Semi and Bus Crash? 

The rule establishing the number of hours for truck drivers behind the wheel is challenged in court.

Bill for School Bus Stop Fails

We Don't Have to Wait for it to be the Law to Turn Off Our Cell Phones

6 Days on the Road, May not be Safe for the American Public