Fatal I-95 Crash in Palm Beach Gardens Claims Life of 24-Year-Old Woman

A tragic accident in the early hours of Wednesday morning has claimed the life of a 24-year-old woman from Jupiter, following a collision with a semi-truck on Interstate 95 North. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the crash occurred around 3:35 a.m., roughly one mile north of the PGA Boulevard exit.

Preliminary reports from FHP state that the semi-truck, a freightliner, was traveling northbound on I-95 when it was rear-ended by a Nissan Sentra driven by the young woman. Troopers say the Sentra approached the truck at a high rate of speed and crashed into the back of the truck’s trailer. The impact caused the vehicle to become lodged underneath the rear portion of the trailer, a particularly devastating type of collision known as an underride crash.

Emergency responders pronounced the woman dead at the scene. Her identity has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin. The driver of the semi-truck was not injured.

Crashes involving passenger vehicles and large commercial trucks often result in catastrophic or fatal injuries, especially in rear-end collisions. When a smaller car strikes the rear of a trailer, the lower profile of the car can cause it to slide underneath the truck in what is known as an underride accident.

These accidents are often deadly due to:

• Lack of sufficient underride guards or damaged/missing underride bars
• Poor nighttime visibility
• High speed impact
• Sudden lane changes or driver fatigue
• Distracted or impaired driving
• Failure to account for slower-moving commercial vehicles

In this case, FHP’s report suggests the Sentra may have been traveling too fast to recognize and react to the slower-moving or stopped semi in time.

When fatal accidents occur, especially those involving commercial vehicles, it’s important to carefully investigate all contributing factors. While early reports suggest the woman was approaching at a high rate of speed, that does not automatically mean she was entirely at fault. Potential avenues of legal inquiry could include:

• Was the truck parked or moving unusually slowly?
• Was the truck’s lighting or reflective equipment operational and visible?
• Was the underride guard compliant with federal safety standards?
• Were there any contributing roadway or visibility issues?

If the truck’s operator or the trucking company failed to meet safety regulations, or if there was a mechanical defect in either vehicle, surviving family members may be able to file a wrongful death claim.

Fatal truck crashes are complex and emotionally overwhelming. At Flanagan & Bodenheimer Injury & Wrongful Death Law Firm, our attorneys have deep experience handling cases involving commercial trucking companies and wrongful death litigation. We investigate every angle, including accident reconstruction, black box data, and compliance with federal trucking laws.