Commercial Truck Accident

Published on: May 26, 2012

Increases in fatal tractor-trailer crashes leads to a goal to increase its laws and regulations

by Stephen Bilkis

Lawyers say they and other truck driving lawyers plan to increase laws and regulations in an effort to better protect other drivers from debilitating or fatal crashes involving tractor-trailers.

In Missouri, for example, there has been a long stretch of fatal 18-wheeler accidents in the past six months. Attorneys there are advocating for stricter enforcement from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in Missouri.

In one particular crash that was reported recently, a truck driver, who was distracted only for what he claimed was only a moment, drifted to another lane and caused a pileup of seven cars. The crash reportedly caused two deaths and several serious injuries.

Published on: May 23, 2012

14 Dead as Tour Bus Slid into Pole

by Stephen Bilkis

Fourteen people have been confirmed dead following a horrific crash of a tour bus in The Bronx, New York, over the weekend. The tour bus was returning from a night out for its passengers at the Mohegan Sun Casino in eastern Connecticut. The 40-year old bus driver survived the crash and had told investigators that a passing tractor-trailer had clipped the bus thereby causing him to lose control of the vehicle before overturning and skidding almost 500-feet into a highway sign whose support structure then sliced through the bus.

While the investigation is still ongoing, there are some who are not quite as certain of the bus driver’s accounts; Investigators have been hearing witness and survivor accounts of the bus having driving across the rumble strips multiple times before the bus overturned. Rumble strips are placed along the shoulders of many highways in order to alert drivers whenever they are leaving the travelled portion of the roadway and are heading for the edge of the pavement. This system is put into place in large part to “wakeup” drivers who may be beginning to nod off.

There were 32 people on board the bus when it crashed – The 14 who perished, 17 survivors, and the driver. Of the 17 passengers who survived the crash, there were five who were critically injured, two suffered serious injuries, and eleven who suffered only minor injuries.

Published on: May 21, 2012

18-Wheeler Hits Car Then Overturns

by Stephen Bilkis

Added to a series of accidents involving tractor-trailers nationwide this year, a tractor-trailer hits a car before it overturns. Local authorities near Shreveport, LA, are in the process of cleaning up a two-vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer and a car.

This accident occurred on southbound I-49 about 1a.m. Sunday. It began with the driver of the tractor-trailer becoming distracted while reaching for a bag of potato chips. While reaching for these chips, he allowed the truck to veer into the lane to his left. By the time the driver realized what had happened, he attempted to correct his path but in so doing, he wiped out the vehicle that was in the left lane. It was at this point that both vehicles overturned after leaving the roadway. Accidents like this are unusual in Manhattan and Long Island.

First responders arrived at the accident scene within minutes, rerouted traffic as necessary, and attended to the injured. Both the driver of the tractor-trailer and the driver of the car received life-threatening injuries. The car driver was stabilized for transport, airlifted from the accident scene, and taken to LSU Medical Center, where she remains in intensive care (ICU) in critical condition.

Published on: May 19, 2012

Change in Rules Needed for Truck Driver Fatigue,

by Stephen Bilkis

The current laws and regulations that inhibit truck driver fatigue have proven to be ineffective, reports an authority . A recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruling on an accident that occurred in 2008, regarding a tractor-trailer driver that had failed to notice that traffic had stopped in front of him and collided with an SUV on I-44 in Oklahoma. The semi-truck then proceeded to override three additional vehicles thereby setting off a chain reaction amongst the vehicles.

The NTSB ruled last fall that driver fatigue was the deciding factor due to the driver experiencing acute sleep loss. The NTSB further went on to add that the current federal regulations fail to address the issue of driver fatigue, a TV Station was told. The NTSB has made specific recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regarding how to address truck driver fatigue. Some of their changes include:

• Creating comprehensive fatigue management plans for commercial drivers

Published on: May 16, 2012

Bus Swerved Before Crash

by Stephen Bilkis

During their investigation of the tragic bus accident in the Bronx last weekend, investigators have learned that the bus swerved many times before overturning onto its side and skidding into a pole thereby killing fourteen people, a reporter has learned.

While many of the eyewitness accounts may vary depending on their recollection, most of them attest to the bus having swerved onto the rumble strips that are located on the shoulder of the highway multiple times before the bus crashed, a policeman was told. Rumble strips are placed on the side of the road in order to alert drivers whenever they drive near the edge of the pavement.

The bus driver has stated that the bus was clipped by a tractor-trailer, which caused him to lose control. Investigators have recovered a dash camera that was mounted on the front of the bus, as well as an engine-control module, so they may further investigate what was in front of the bus as well as the bus’ speed and other parameters to assist in their investigation. The engine-control module has been sent to a laboratory in Washington, D.C. The truck driver that is to have allegedly struck the bus has contacted the state police voluntarily and both he and his employer are cooperating with authorities. Authorities have also located both the trailer and the tractor that the bus driver alleges to have clipped the bus, and have taken them both in for analysis.

Published on: May 9, 2012

One Confirmed Dead Following Collision with Fire Truck

by Stephen Bilkis

Sources have confirmed that one-person lie dead following a collision between the van that he was a passenger in and a fire truck. It has been reported that the fire truck was responding to a call when it struck a van that was making a left turn in front of the fire truck. Although the van had a green light when its driver initiated the turn, the fire truck struck the van on its left rear, thereby demolishing part of the van and killing one of the eight passengers. Six of the passengers and six firefighters were hospitalized with minor injuries, and two more whose conditions were listed as critical.

The 51-year old deceased man was identified to a Lawyer as a long-time resident of a state group home that is located in Willowbrook. The van was transporting individuals from the home to a day program that is offered by the Lifestyles for the Disabled. He was described as one who was always smiling and as being happy-go-lucky. He was also a competitor in Staten Island’s Special Olympics for the past several years.

The fire truck was responding to a reported fire, which turned out to be an overheated vehicle, and at the time of the accident had its lights and sirens activated. Immediately after the accident, the firefighters’ mission changed to that of rescuers and exited their vehicle to render aid to the accident victims. Firefighters had to use a hydraulic tool in order to extricate the victims from the van.

Published on: May 5, 2012

Tour Bus and Semi Collide Killing One

by Stephen Bilkis

One woman was killed and four others were injured after a tour bus and a tractor-trailer collided Saturday night. The truck accident occurred just after 7pm on Highway 33 in the town of Herman, which is approximately five miles west of Allenton, WI, after the semi-driver reportedly failed to yield to the bus at the intersection of Highway 33 and Highway P, and the semi slammed into the bus.

Immediately after the collision, the bus flipped twice and slid into the ditch, witnesses have told the police. Law enforcement officials at the scene stated that the accident could have been much, worse than it was, had the bus been fully laden with passengers. The 52-year old driver and the surviving passenger, also a 75-year old woman, were all transported to different local hospitals for treatment. Their current medical conditions are unknown as of the time of this article.

While the bus lay on its side in the ditch, the truck (a cabover with the truck cab over top of the engine) was raised up and over to the side and was completely mangled due to the crash. The 30-year old driver and the 30-year old passenger of the semi were not quite as fortunate, for both had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital. The highway was closed due to the accident for more than six hours. Firefighters were watchful for any signs of fire and were concerned with any fuel that could spill either from the overturned bus, or from the mangled semi-truck.

Published on: April 30, 2012

Woman Files Lawsuit Against Truck Driver

by Stephen Bilkis

As part of our ongoing investigative and reporting efforts, a rep strives to not only bring you the latest in truck accident investigations and reports, but also writes about when certain legal cases are presented that are of interest to our readers. As a matter of policy, a Lawyer does not specifically mention names of those persons that are involved in the legal system in any manner. This not only protects those persons who are desirous of maintaining their privacy, but also helps to avoid any confusion between certain stories that we cover.

A Missouri woman has filed legal suit in St. Clair County Circuit Court on February 9 against trucking company Empire Express of Memphis, TN. The suit alleges that the plaintiff was injured when one of the company’s drivers reportedly struck her vehicle in the rear with the truck on June 17, 2009.

The suit further alleges that she sustained permanent injuries to her head and lumbar spine as a result of the driver having rear-ended her vehicle. The suit further alleges that she has suffered great pain and mental anguish due to her injuries and blames the driver that has been named in the suit. The woman has also stated within her complaint that, “she incurred medical costs and has been deprived of participating in her normal life activities.”

Published on: April 28, 2012

Police Looking for Witness to Vehicle Accident

by Stephen Bilkis

The driver of a Wonderbread truck may have witnessed a fatal vehicle crash that killed a 20-year old man. Police are looking for the bread truck driver to question him about what he saw on Nashville Road and Highway 50 around 6:30am when the accident occurred. The young man was driving in one direction when his car jumped the center divider and hit a pickup truck traveling in the other direction. There are no other witnesses to question about this accident.

The driver of the pickup truck survived and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for minor bruises and other minor injuries. It is unclear at this time why the young man would swerve his car into the lane. The car may have malfunctioned or the man may have fallen asleep behind the wheel. With many possibilities, local law enforcement officials are hoping the bread truck driver may be able to provide additional details. So far, police have not been able to locate the driver of the bread truck.

Since police have yet to determine how this accident happened, the young man’s name has not been released. Police may also need more time to locate the man’s family so they can make funeral arrangements and begin the grieving process. Funeral arrangements will probably be announced once the man’s identity has been released.

Published on: April 26, 2012

Truck Overturns and Kills Two

by Stephen Bilkis

Two people died after a truck overturned in the town of Stellenbosch. Four other passengers are in critical condition and were taken to the nearby hospital. The extent of their injuries is currently unknown. The driver of the truck, who was also taken to the hospital, has deep cuts on his face and body. Medical personnel responded quickly after the truck accidentwas reported. It is unclear how the accident occurred and if the truck driver is at fault. Local law enforcement will have to investigate further to learn more about the cause of this tragedy.

When medical personnel, including two medical doctors, EMS helicopter and a rescue vehicle arrived, they quickly assessed that two of the passengers were dead on the scene. The other four passengers had various injuries which required immediate medical attention. Injuries included severe head trauma and leg and arm fractures. The accident happened around 3pm on Adam Tas Road. A spokesperson for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) stated that those who survived the accident are receiving medical attention.

Luckily, medical personnel were able to reach the scene of the accident quickly to transport the injured people to the local hospital. Those with head trauma will have to be monitored to determine if permanent damage has been done. Those with fractures probably need to rest until their injuries heal completely. Physical therapy may also be needed depending on the severity of their injuries. The cuts on the driver may also take time to heal. He will have to be monitored so he does not develop an infection from the wounds.