A man was killed in a Fort Myers head-on collision this afternoon when his pickup collided with a box truck about 1 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the cause of the crash at Plantation Road and Arc Way.

The driver of the pickup died at the scene and the driver of the box truck was injured and transported to the hospital.

The crash closed Plantation Road from Crystal Drive to Arc Way for several hours. Read more.

Head-on collisions, just like many accidents, are hard to predict and hard to avoid. When a driver sees another car driving directly at him, it is hard to know what to do because it’s impossible to know how the other driver is going to react. If both drivers swerve the same direction, there will still be a crash.

There are three basic steps drivers can use to avoid or minimize a collision of any kind: stop, turn (steer away), or speed up. Driversed.com provides tips for what steps to take in various types of potential crashes.

According to driversed.com, in most cases, you can turn the vehicle quicker than you can stop it. If you don’t have enough room to stop, you may need to steer away from what’s ahead to avoid a collision. You have to be careful not to over steer, though, because it could cause you to lose control and crash. Here are some tips on how to turn quickly and safely:

  • Do not apply the brake while you are turning. It’s very easy to lock your wheels while turning. If that happens, you may skid out of control or cause too much weight transfer and rollover.
  • Do not turn any more than needed to clear whatever is in your way. The more sharply you turn, the greater the chances of a skid or rollover.
  • Be prepared to countersteer—that is, to turn the wheel back in the other direction, once you’ve passed whatever was in your path.

Read more safety tips to avoid a collision.

At Bernardo Injury Law, we have helped many victims involved in crashes or their family members. We know how devastating this can be to a family. If you need some advice, contact us at (239) 332-3000 or toll free at 888-428-8943, email us at gethelp@injuryinfo.org or visit our website at injuryinfo.org.