18 Wheeler Accident

Published on: December 17, 2011

Semi Trailer Rolls Over and Closes Highway

by Stephen Bilkis

This case is an example of what “could” have happened if there had been any other vehicles around the semi that rolled on its side. That kind of a visual will bring a shock of fear to most people. Who wants to be involved in a truck accidentwith a semi?

In this semi wreck, the big rig was heading north when it started to fishtail on slippery roads. As a result of the rear end doing its thing, the truck then rolled over on its side, blocking six lanes of traffic. Can you just imagine what would have happened if all six lanes had traffic in them when the truck went down, asked the press?

The driver walked from this crash without injuries and considered himself to be pretty lucky at that. But for the fact that there was no one else around at the time of the morning when the accident happened, both he and other drivers may have suffered severe injuries, observed the police. As it was, it took emergency response crews at least six hours to repair a damaged guardrail before four lanes were reopened for use.

Published on: December 11, 2011

Woman on Motorized Wheelchair Killed by Truck

by Stephen Bilkis

Sometimes, bad things happen to good people and there seems to be no explanation for it. But then again, if you take a close look at some truck accident cases, there may be something else there just under the surface, waiting to be discovered.

This case was particularly heartbreaking, as it involved a 71-year old woman in a motorized wheelchair crossing at a marked intersection. She was struck and killed by a garbage truck driver who was initially charged with negligent homicide, a misdemeanor carrying up to two years prison time if convicted. When the case got to trial, the judge ruled that he should not stand trial for this charge, explained the observer. There is an appeal under consideration.

There are many things that could have happened in this case, not the least of which is that the woman in the wheelchair, despite seeing the truck, may have proceeded to cross anyway. Stranger things have happened and if she thought the truck had a lot of time to stop, she may have decided she had time to cross and he may not have had time to stop that large truck.

Published on: November 11, 2011

Two dead in car wreck involving semis

by Stephen Bilkis

Anytime an 18-wheeler is involved in a car wreck, the results are never pretty, said the New York Truck Accident Lawyer. This case is a prime example of a terrible wreck that killed two elderly people; a pastor and his wife. The collision happened at an intersection and involved two semis. Somehow or other, the pastor’s vehicle was caught in between the two trucks and the truck behind them rear ended their car, causing an underride accident.

The police want to know a whole lot more about this accident and are asking anyone with any information to come forward. They want to find out if anyone saw the accident or saw the two trucks just before the accident. Given the fact that the truck behind the car rear-ended them, indicates that he was not paying attention to the road and it may also indicate he was speeding, as the force of the impact shoved the car under the truck in front.

Accidents like this are devastating for the family left behind and in this case, the family would likely have a solid wrongful death case to take to a personal injury lawyer, explained the New York City Truck Accident Lawyer. There will be other things that the police want to find out, including what the trucker was doing before the accident. In cases like this where a truck rear-ends another vehicle, you can count on the fact that the driver was not paying attention to driving.

Published on: November 6, 2011

Dangerous Highway Being Studied; Possible Improvements to Come

by Stephen Bilkis

Four years ago, a man lost his son and two grandchildren in a crash on M-40 in front of the Tulip City Truck Stop. Afterward, he wondered if it was possible to do anything to improve the busy road’s safety.

He now has hope that just that will happen. And that hope comes in the form of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council who has hired a consultant to conduct a study of a specific stretch of M-40. The study could lead to much needed safety improvements.

“We always felt all along that there were a lot of close calls (after that crash). We felt another (accident) was going to happen,” the father and grandfather said.

Published on: October 26, 2011

School Bus Meets Tractor Trailer in Deadly Wreck

by Stephen Bilkis

It was a deadly wreck and one which those who lost children will remember for the rest of their lives.

It was a horrendous wreck involving a school bus and an 18-wheeler. Thankfully, the trucking company came right out and owned up to the fact that they were fully accepting complete responsibility for the fatal collision indicated a New York Trucking Accident Lawyer.

In a move that many parents considered to be honest and upfront, the company indicated they understood the ramifications of the accident and were facing the consequences by doing everything they possibly could to deal with the situation. They understood the anguish of the parents who lost children in the crash.

Published on: October 17, 2011

Sometimes There Really are Guardian Angels on the Highways

by Stephen Bilkis

This was a case that warmed the hearts of many and shed a different light on truckers.

While most people consider 18-wheelers to be dangerous and deadly, it appears that there are truckers out there who will go to the max to help someone in distress. Such is the case here when a trucker was recently awarded a medal of excellence for saving a soldier’s life, indicated a NY Trucking Accident Lawyer.

It was a usual day at work driving a long haul truck, but it rapidly turned into something else when the trucker spotted a man who had been thrown from an overturned vehicle and was lying on his back, next to a guardrail. The quick thinking trucker maneuvered his big rig to protect the victim from oncoming traffic, called for help and stayed on the scene, offering aid, until the emergency response crews arrived.

Published on: October 16, 2011

Hit-And-Run Freightliner Accident and Others

by Stephen Bilkis

There is always a risk when driving. Resident from around Columbia, Missouri, can definitely testify to that. In the last two weeks, four vehicle accidents have occurred.

Four residents of Boonville, a town near Columbia, were injured Friday in an accident near the Cooper County Fairgrounds.

An 18-year-old girl was making a left hand turn when she crossed the center line and was hit by a 45-year-old driving a truck.

Published on: September 29, 2011

Trucker Reaching for Cell Phone Kills Three

by Stephen Bilkis

It was a moment of inattention that cost three people their lives. Reaching for his cell phone on the dash board, a trucker lost track of where he was and rolled into a whole line of traffic, knocking cars out of the way like bowling balls.

The 51-year old trucker who was involved in an awful accident that killed three and left many others injured two years ago, was released from jail after serving 371 days of his sentence for involuntary manslaughter. The man had served a one year sentence; a sentence in part determined in consultation with the victims of the crash, explained a New York Trucking Accident Lawyer

The facts of the case are that the trucker was momentarily distracted by reaching for his cell phone and while doing that, took his eyes off the road. The truck kept going and plowed into a line of vehicles sitting on the highway. The resulting chain reaction crash killed three and injured at least 14 others. The charges in this case were not filed until nine months after the crash, as it took that long to sort out the relevant details. In New York and Long Island authorities warn against this kind of behavior and the consequences.

Published on: July 29, 2011

Drunk and Inattentive Trucker Kills Four Resulting in $15 million Judgment

by Stephen Bilkis

The accident that sparked this wrongful death lawsuit happened in 2005 when a husband and wife spent a weekend with friends in another city. They were on their way home, when they were stopped in a construction zone on the highway.

Minutes later, a tractor-trailer rammed into the whole line of traffic stopped for the construction zone, killing the husband and three others in the carnage. The wife sustained catastrophic injuries. Four years later, the court rendered its verdict; a $15 million settlement for the wife who lost her husband due to the negligence of the trucker. Cases like this in New York City and Nassau County are handled by local attorneys most of the time.

Sadly, although the judgment could have helped the family continue with their lives and made some reparation for the horrific ordeal, the trucking company won’t be paying it within the foreseeable future. They moved all of their assets, including their trucks, into four other business entities to avoid paying. No one even knows if the original company is in business any longer, stated the NY City Trucking Accident Lawyer.

Published on: July 26, 2011

Fatal Collision Involving Semi and Van

by Stephen Bilkis

A 77-year-old man died last week in a motor vehicle accident involving his van and a cattle-hauling semi. Family members are still shocked.

The deceased’s sister says, “He was always very cautious. That’s what we can’t understand. He was always very cautious when he was driving or whatever he was doing.”

The 77-year-old grew up in the Wingham-area near Elm Creek. Later, in 2005, he moved to Portage la Prairie where he lived with his brother. He lived there with him until just last year when the brother died.