While the first instinct may be to get out of your car and inspect the damage, staying in your vehicle may be your safest bet if you get into an accident on the highway or interstate. According to AAA and state highway patrol officers, being inside your vehicle could be the safest place for you to be should another vehicle not notice that you have broken down. If you are in an accident, get your car over to the right shoulder or breakdown lane, turn on your hazard lights and call for help. Wait in the vehicle for help to arrive.
Fox News 13 reports on a young man who was hit and killed by another driver while his car was being loaded onto a tow truck.
21-year-old Danny Schaffer had spent Saturday night with his family in Bradenton. He was driving his girlfriend north on Interstate 75 when he noticed that one of his tires felt loose, so he pulled over near the Selmon Expressway.
He called his parents, Jennifer and Stephen Shaffer, and they came out to help. At about 2:30 a.m., the tow truck driver arrived.
Schaffer’s car was already loaded onto the tow truck when a pickup truck slammed into both Danny Schaffer and the tow truck driver. All three vehicles, burst into flames.
The operator of the tow truck, 29-year-old Marc Smith was treated for injuries at the hospital and released. The driver who lost control of his pickup only received minor injuries. Danny was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol hasn’t said whether or not the driver of the truck will face charges as the crash is still under investigation.