Car accident leaves Florida mower dead

A Florida lawn maintenance worker is dead after he was struck by a car as he was operating a tractor on the side of a highway. The 55-year-old man was killed at the crash site.

Officials with the Florida Highway Patrol said the serious car accident occurred just before 12 p.m., as the man was driving the tractor just off the shoulder of U.S. Route 1. In order to avoid a ditch, the maintenance worker briefly moved his tractor into the outside lane. This reportedly put him into the path of an oncoming car, which slammed into the tractor and pushed it onto its side. This caused the worker to be thrown from the tractor, killing him.

According to a public information officer with the Florida Department of Transportation, the victim's company had been hired by the state to maintain the grass along certain roads in the county.

The FHP said the victim was likely traveling to another work site at the time of the accident.

The police report classified the accident as unavoidable, and no charges will be filed. But other accidents like this are caused by driver negligence every year in Florida. In some instances, the families of those killed may able to seek damages by filing a wrongful death lawsuit, which compensates them for the pain and suffering they experience following their loss.

Additionally, no charges being filed does not preclude the ability to file a wrongful death lawsuit in this case. A civil jury could find that the driver was negligent in not avoiding the tractor, depending on the evidence.

Source: St. Augustine.com, "Elkton man killed when car hits tractor mowing side of US 1," Sheldon Gardner, July 17, 2012