Car Accident on Bridge Results in Vehicle Fire
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports that a 2-vehicle accident occurred on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge going northbound near mile marker 7. The accident resulted in a fire in one vehicle.
Photo by Sgt. Steve Gaskins, FHP
Photo by Sgt. Steve Gaskins, FHP
Without details of how this accident happened, we are unable to say which of the two vehicles involved has legal responsibility for the accident. Regardless of how the accident happened, there appears to be damage to the highway for which one driver or the other will be legally responsible for pursuant to section 316.560, Florida Statutes. That statute authorizes government authorities in control of the highway to file a civil action against both the driver and owner of a vehicle that is responsible for the crash that caused the damage. A fire can cause cracks to the bridge structure or otherwise cause structural deficiency. There are engineers who can be called out to examine whether such damage exists as well as to what extent repair is needed. We assume that the driver/owner who caused this accident has insurance to cover Florida's minimum financial responsibility requirements in section 324.022, Florida Statutes. This may or may not be enough to cover the damage to the bridge and the damage to the vehicle whose driver was not responsible for causing this crash. While there is no report of injury in this case, Florida law in section 324.021 sets out minimum financial responsibility requirements for bodily injury.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Polk County or Central Florida, please contact a Central Florida or Polk County car accident attorney for a free consultation.
