Three People Were Killed on the Florida Turnpike by a Truck Driver Who Failed His CDL Test 10 Times. Here's What Their Families Can Do.

What Happened on the Turnpike

On a summer morning in August 2025, a semi-truck driver attempted to make a U-turn on Florida's Turnpike in St. Lucie County — one of the most explicitly prohibited maneuvers on any divided limited-access highway in the country. A minivan traveling at highway speed struck the truck as it blocked the roadway. The minivan went underneath the trailer. All three occupants of the minivan died at the scene.

The truck driver fled the scene and drove to California. He was subsequently located and arrested by U.S. Marshals on a fugitive warrant. Criminal charges — including vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident — were filed in Florida. As of this writing, the criminal case is proceeding.

What emerged in the weeks following the crash, however, was an additional and deeply disturbing fact: the driver had failed his Commercial Driver's License (CDL) skills test 10 times in the state of Washington before ultimately being licensed. He later obtained a CDL from California. The licensing history and the crash have become the subject of a congressional investigation into gaps in the federal commercial driver licensing system.

The CDL Failure History — And Why It Matters

A Commercial Driver's License is not supposed to be easy to obtain. The standards exist because commercial truck drivers operate vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds at highway speeds, and mistakes at that scale are fatal. The CDL skills test — which involves a pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control, and an on-road driving test — is designed to screen out drivers who lack the competence to operate these vehicles safely.

Failing it 10 times is not a minor issue. Failing it once, or even twice, might indicate test anxiety or a specific area that needed additional training. Failing it 10 times is a documented pattern indicating persistent inability to demonstrate safe commercial driving skills.

Under federal law, states must report CDL test results to the Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS), and commercial drivers are supposed to be licensed through a single national record system so that failures and violations in one state follow a driver to another. The congressional investigation following this crash is examining whether these interstate reporting mechanisms failed — and whether a driver who could not pass a CDL test in Washington should have been able to obtain a CDL in California at all.

Legal Theories Available to the Families

The families of the three people killed have multiple legal theories available to them, and they can be pursued simultaneously:

• Negligence against the driver: The driver's decision to attempt a U-turn on a controlled-access highway — a deliberate act that directly caused the collision — constitutes straightforward negligence. That he then fled the scene may be considered in evaluating his culpability.
• Negligent entrustment by the trucking company: The company that employed the driver and entrusted him with the commercial vehicle has an independent duty to ensure their drivers are qualified to operate safely. If the company knew, or had the means to know, about the driver's extended CDL failure history — or failed to conduct adequate background screening — they may bear liability for the deaths. Commercial trucking companies are required by federal law to investigate the driving history of every CDL holder they hire, going back at least three years.
• Negligent hiring and retention: Even if the company conducted a basic background check, if they failed to apply appropriate judgment about what a 10-time CDL test failure record signals, they may be liable for negligently hiring an unqualified driver.
• Wrongful death: Florida's Wrongful Death Act allows the surviving family members — spouses, children, parents — to recover for the economic and emotional losses caused by the deaths, including loss of support, services, companionship, and mental pain and suffering.

Why the CDL History Is Legally Significant

From a litigation standpoint, the driver's 10-time CDL failure record is potentially the most valuable piece of evidence in the case — not just against the driver, but against the trucking company and potentially the licensing authorities. Here is why:

In a wrongful death case against a trucking company, the plaintiff must show that the company was negligent — that they fell below a reasonable standard of care. A company that hires a driver without checking his CDL history, or that hires him despite a documented record showing he failed the basic competency test 10 times, has strong evidence of negligence on its face. Courts and juries are not sympathetic to companies that put dangerous drivers behind the wheel of 40-ton vehicles on public highways.

Additionally, the congressional investigation creates a public record — and potentially admissions by regulators — that the licensing system had gaps. That kind of record can support arguments that the regulatory failure contributed to the conditions that made this crash possible.

What Families Should Do

If you lost a family member in this crash — or in any commercial truck accident — these steps will protect your ability to pursue a claim:

• Do not accept any early settlement offers. Insurance companies for large trucking companies are experienced at making quick, low settlement offers to families in the immediate aftermath of a crash. These offers rarely reflect the full value of a wrongful death claim. Once you accept a settlement and sign a release, your legal claims are extinguished.
• Preserve all evidence. This includes photos and video from the crash scene, any communications with the driver or the trucking company, and documentation of the CDL history if you can obtain it. Your attorney can compel the company to produce employment records, maintenance logs, and electronic logging device data from the truck.
• Request the driver's complete employment and licensing history. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) records are a starting point. Your attorney can also subpoena the trucking company's own background check records and safety department files.
• Consult a wrongful death attorney who handles commercial truck cases. These cases require familiarity with federal trucking regulations (FMCSRs), electronic logging device data, and the specific evidence needed to establish both the driver's negligence and the company's negligent entrustment. Many attorneys in this space work on contingency.