ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A sign on the back of a truck claiming “not responsible for broken windshields” is at the center of this week’s Traffic Inbox.
What You Need To Know
- A sign posted on the back of a truck, saying it's not responsible for damage, doesn't take away liability, FHP says
- Trucks are also required by law to cover their load
- Have a transportation-related question? Send it to our Traffic Inbox
Alan Javorsky and his girlfriend were heading home to Daytona Beach from a birding trip in Osceola County last month when they got onto State Road 417.
“We were coming down the 417, just driving along and all of a sudden we hear this big crack,” said Alan.
They looked over and saw their windshield busted.
The culprit, Alan says, was a dump truck in front of them.
“We see stuff kind of flying off of it, and my girlfriend was like, ‘Whoa, slow down, there’s stuff coming off that truck,’” Alan recalled.
They tried to get the truck to stop, but no luck. Then Alan noticed something on the back of the vehicle.
“There’s a little sign on the back of the truck that says, ‘We are not responsible for any cracked windshields,'" Alan said. “And I’m thinking how can you just put a sign on the back and not be responsible?”
Alan took some video of the dump truck and we shared it with Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes.
She tells us this is not considered a crash, but “the sign posted on the back of the dump truck does not take away any potential liability,” Montes said. “The video does show that the driver of the dump truck did cover his load, which is required by law.”
But it’s also required by law for that driver to make sure the cover works.
“If these drivers can prove that that the rock in question came from the subject truck, then the truck would be liable for their property damage as it arguably failed to follow this statutory requirement,“ said attorney Travis McMillen from Bogin, Munns and Munns.
Alan says the vehicle doesn’t have comprehensive coverage, so they had to pay out of pocket for repairs.
“We were just going home and now it cost us $300 to get our car fixed,” said Alan.
We reached out to the trucking company multiple times, but haven’t heard back.
With no help from law enforcement, or the trucking company, Alan’s only option now: hire an attorney.
But is that worth it for $300 in repairs?
If you have a traffic issue or question, go to the Traffic Inbox page on MyNews13.com.