Tractor-Trailer Crashes into Car Killing 1 in Lakeland, Florida

LAKELAND, FL- WTLA.com reports that one person was killed when a truck ran through a traffic signal at the intersection of US 98 North and Rockridge Road at around 2:45 p.m. on May 17, 2018. The tractor-trailer was traveling northbound on US 98 and the car, a Nissan Altima, was traveling east on Rockridge Road. The Nissan had just entered the intersection on a green light he was struck by the truck.

The driver of the Nissan has been identified as 59-year-old Charles Kimbrough Jr. Kimbrough died at the scene of the accident.

After the collision, the truck drove into a gas station parking lot and tipped onto its side.

The truck was being operated by 41-year-old Charles Ervin. Ervin did not sustain any injuries. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the cause of the collisions.

On average, every day in the United States, about two people are killed in accidents caused by drivers running red lights. In 2015, this amounted to a total of 719 people. Between 2011 and 2015 the number of fatalities resulting from drivers running red lights increased by 7%.

Despite the fact that 93% of drivers said in a survey conducted by the AAA that running red lights was unacceptable, the same survey indicated that 36 percent of drivers had done so within the last month. A study carried out at several intersections showed that drivers run red lights at an alarmingly high rate. One intersection showed that about every 20 minutes, a person ran a red light, another intersection’s rate was 3.2 per hour. The frequency increased during periods of time with heavy traffic.

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