• Tweet
• Sumo

• Tweet

Sandy M. Weidner, 38, of New Port Richey was listed in critical, but stable condition after being hit by a semi truck on Wednesday morning. The accident occurred roughly one mile south of the Exit 350/State Road 200 ramp, on the northbound side of I-75 in Ocala, Florida. Florida Highway Patrol troopers said that Weidner had pulled her Honda Accord into the emergency lane and then got out of the vehicle. She stepped into the outside lane and was hit by a passing semi truck. The driver of the semi truck, Jimmy Henderson, 64, of Georgia is employed by Yellow Roadway Corporation and was headed for Valdosta, Georgia. Henderson said he saw the woman standing beside her vehicle and thought she might walk into the roadway. When she did, Henderson quickly checked the middle lane so he could move over, but there was a vehicle in that lane. By the time the lane cleared it was too late, and the right front corner of the semi truck hit Weidner.
The personal and economic costs of highway crashes to local citizens and communities can be enormous. Roadside crashes account for one-third of all U.S. highway fatalities each year. More than 15,000 people are killed and nearly one million people are injured when vehicles run off the road and crash. Roadside crashes cost society $80 billion per year in medical expenses, worker losses, property damage, and emergency services. Florida Drivers should exercise extra caution when traveling on highways and be on the lookout for cars, pedestrians, and other hazards that could cause an accident. For more information, see Woman gets out of car is struck by semi on 1-75 Wednesday.