UPDATE: Miami investigators have released the Lytx DriveCam video showing a solid waste truck driving off of an I-95 ramp in February.
Contrary to what some may have suspected, the driver was not speeding, texting on his cell phone, or fighting traffic — the road in front of him was clear. Florida Highway Patrol investigators are "now calling his survival astounding," and citing him for "careless driving and failure to wear a seat belt," as reported in the Miami Herald.
"The video speaks for itself," said Joe Sanchez, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, to the Miami Herald.
"The recording is proof that this [DriveCam] technology works and can provide answers about driving events that would otherwise be difficult to assess," said City Manager Daniel Alfonso to the Herald.
Dive Brief:
- A city of Miami garbage truck drove through a concrete I-95 barrier on Monday, plunging 100 feet into a popular children's park below. Miraculously, nobody was killed in the incident, however an investigation is being conducted to find what caused the driver to break through the wall.
- In November 2014, the city spent $180,000 to test out DriveCam, a dual-camera system installed in sanitation vehicles to monitor speed and fuel consumption. In December 2015, the city planned to invest $500,000 over the course of four years to install the system in 142 trucks. Now, this technology may be used as a viable clue.
- Mario Nunez, Miami's solid waste director, said the city is rushing the truck's surveillance camera to the Drivecam headquarters to see if any film or recording can be salvaged and analyzed.
Dive Insight:
While incidents such as this accident are rare, they indicate the importance of installing in-cab cameras. Although Miami Herald reported the 1969 barricade was not built to the same standards that it would be built today, the explanation of how the garbage truck could have such force as to break through the concrete wall is still unknown — and may be discovered through the surveillance recordings.
"I’ve been doing this job for 30 years ... I’ve seen many vehicles hit the railing on 95. I’ve never seen such an impact. There’s nothing similar to this," said Dennis Fernandez, administrator of structures maintenance for the Florida Department of Transportation's Miami district, to the Miami Herald.
It was also reported that there were no skid marks on the road and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.
Although city officials warned that the surveillance "black box" may not function due to damage that the truck endured, it is still hopeful that the technology will serve an explanation for such an accident, and will help prevent these accidents from happening again in the future.
