Articles Posted in Truck Accidents

Four people, including a woman and three children were injured in a truck accident in Loganville, Georgia.The accident occurred on Friday when a tractor-trailer crashed into an SUV. According to police, the truck accident occurred at an intersection when the tractor-trailer struck the SUV in the left rear quarter panel.Witnesses at the scene have confirmed to police that the SUV driver had the green light.Police have charged the tractor-trailer driver with failure to obey a traffic control device.The female driver of the SUV has also been charged with failure to restrain a child.Her three children were in the car, an eleven-year-old, a ten-year-old and fourteen-year-old, were taken to a hospital.

Failure to obey traffic laws is important for any motorist, but these failures can be critical and can have devastating effects when they involve tractor-trailer drivers.Drivers of these massive commercial trucks are at a high risk of causing an accident when they run red lights, tailgate or break other traffic rules.The risk to motorists in the vicinity of a truck is high because drivers of smaller vehicles involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer are at a much higher risk of being injured.As truck accident attorneys know, an overwhelming majority of accidents that involve a tractor-trailer and a smaller passenger vehicle end with serious personal injury or wrongful death of the occupants of the smaller vehicle.

Those are frightening odds for any motorist to beat, and tractor-trailer drivers must always keep that fact in mind.Further, tractor-trailer drivers must avoid dangerous behaviors like speeding or distracted driving.Speeding is believed to be the number one factor in commercial truck accidents in the United States, contributing to more accidents every year than drunk driving or distracted driving.Driving at speeds beyond the posted limits for commercial trucks, or at speeds that are inappropriate for current traffic, weather conditions, can lead to devastating accidents.

Atlanta truck accident lawyers, trucking safety groups and others who have been waiting for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to publish its Hours of Service rules for truck drivers, will have to wait a little longer.Unfortunately, this delay is likely to increase the number of truck accidents and, therefore, the number of persons who suffer personal injury and wrongful death due to these accidents. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released a statement saying that it has decided to postpone publication of the work rules for at least another month.

The agency had been required to meet the deadline of October 28 for the publication of the new rules.However, in a statement, the agency says that several parties that have been opposed to the rule have agreed to an extension of the deadline for publication.The agency expects a deal to be announced on November 28, 2011.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s decision to postpone the publication of the rule is no surprise to any Atlanta truck accident attorney.After all, the agency’s proposal to review the Hours of Service for truck drivers has been a controversial one, and is heavily opposed by the trucking industry.

As more and more states in the country begin to experiment with increasing weight limits for trucks in order to improve trucking efficiency, trucking companies, truck safety groups and Atlanta truck accident attorneys are watching these developments with interest.From a safety point of view, there is nothing to recommend an increase in truck weight limits, no matter how much these increase efficiency. Truck accidents are some of the most dangerous and deadly accidents on our roadways. A significant portion of these accidents result in serious personal injury and wrongful death.

Several states have authorized higher truck weight limits, allowing an increase on the weight of 18- wheelers from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds.Congress is also debating such increases in weight limits.Unfortunately, during a recession, calls for increases on truck weight limits have grown louder, because of the potential benefits to the trucking industry.

According to advocates for an increase in truck weight limits, such an increase will increase efficiency and productivity, lowering the number of trips needed for transportation of cargo.According to them, higher truck weight limits may also lead to lower strain and wear and tear on highways, and reduced maintenance and repair expenses.However, the number one factor behind the trucking industry’s support of increased truck weight limits is the fact that these are expected to save the trucking industry billions of dollars every year.

Law enforcement officials are still continuing their investigation into a fatal truck accident near Interstate 85 that left a woman dead.The truck accident occurred over the weekend and involved a blue Kenworth tractor.The tractor struck the woman outside a restaurant.She suffered fatal injuries and died.Accordingly, a wrongful death action may arise out of the collision. However, since the driver of the tractor-trailer did not remain at the scene, such a claim would need to be asserted against the deceased’s uninsured motorist insurance carrier.

A bulletin by the Hart County Sheriff’s Office has a description of the driver of the 18-wheeler, who left the scene of the accident.There’s nothing to indicate that the driver of the tractor-trailer was aware of the accident, or that it resulted in a fatality.Local Hart County officials are asking any witnesses who saw the tractor to contact them immediately.Police are asking people to look out for a damaged trailer.

Being involved in a commercial truck or tractor trailer accident is one of the most terrifying experiences imaginable.It’s not just the size of these vehicles that makes them so intimidating.It’s also the bulk that these vehicles pack into their large frames that places smaller vehicles at serious risk when they are involved in accidents.Not surprisingly to many truck accident lawyers, in any accident involving 18- wheelers and smaller vehicles, it is the occupants of the smaller car who are most at risk for injuries or deaths.Even when motorists survive these accidents, they may suffer from debilitating injuries that require extensive hospitalization, surgery and long-term care.

Law enforcement officials are still continuing their investigation into a fatal truck accident near Interstate 85 that left a woman dead.The truck accident occurred over the weekend and involved a blue Kenworth tractor.The tractor struck the woman outside a restaurant.She suffered fatal injuries and died.Of course, the results of the investigation could result in a wrongful death lawsuit if the truck driver is located and found to be responsible for the accident.

A bulletin by the Hart County Sheriff’s Office has a description of the driver of the 18-wheeler, who left the scene of the accident.There’s nothing to indicate that the driver of the tractor-trailer was aware of the accident, or that it resulted in a fatality.Local Hart County officials are asking any witnesses who saw the tractor to contact them immediately.Police are asking people to look out for a damaged trailer.

Being involved in a commercial truck or tractor trailer accident is one of the most terrifying experiences imaginable.It’s not just the size of these vehicles that makes them so intimidating.It’s also the bulk that these vehicles pack into their large frames that places smaller vehicles at serious risk when they are involved in accidents.Not surprisingly to Atlanta truck accident lawyers, in any accident involving 18- wheelers and smaller vehicles, it is the occupants of the smaller car who are most at risk for injuries or deaths.Even when motorists survive these accidents, they may suffer from a debilitating personal injury that require extensive hospitalization, surgery and long-term care.

A new agreement between the United States and Mexico would lift tariffs on US goods in Mexico, in return for allowing Mexican trucks to carry freight within the US.It’s a controversial agreement, and Atlanta truck accident lawyers are concerned about the trucking safety records of Mexican companies. Truck accidents often result in serious personal injuries and wrongful deaths.

The deal was announced last month by the Department of Transportation.Already trucking safety groups have raised questions about whether Mexican trucks will be able to meet safety standards in the United States.The Teamsters Union has already made clear its concerns about trucking safety.

However, the Department of Transportation says that there is no need to worry, and that Mexican drivers will be held to the same high standards that American drivers are.According to the agency, Mexican truck drivers will be put through drug and alcohol tests to make sure that there are no intoxicated drivers on the street.Besides, the Department of Transportation will also electronically monitor truck drivers through onboard recorders.These truckers will also be held to high emission safety standards.

Mandatory stability control systems in all tractor-trailers, especially tanker trucks, could help prevent as many as 3,600 rollover accidents every year and save more than 100 lives in these accidents annually.It’s the reason why Atlanta truck accident lawyers have strongly called for such systems in all commercial trucks.The National Transportation Safety Board is calling on a number of federal agencies to work together to implement rollover accident prevention systems for commercial trucks and buses.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s concern over truck rollover accidents comes through in its report into a truck accident in Indianapolis in 2009.The accident which injured five people was ultimately blamed on a tanker truck careening out of control, and flipping over, setting off an explosion.The tanker truck had been loaded with 9,100 gallons of liquefied petroleum gas at the time.

Tanker trucks represent just 6% of the total number of trucks in the country, but account for more than 30% of all fatal truck rollover accidents.Tankers carry liquid cargo, and this cargo may be prone to shifting while in transport.This shift can cause a redistribution of weight, possibly causing the truck to flip over.Tanker trucks very often carry hazardous materials like gasoline, and so, the risks from a rollover accident do not end as soon as the truck flips over.In most of these cases, the hazardous material can leak, posing a serious risk of explosions, fires and toxic exposure.