The southbound lanes of Interstate 71 near mile-marker 16 at the Hamilton-Bradley county line finally reopened after being closed most of Thursday morning because of a fatal trucking accident in Tennessee.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a pickup truck ran head-on into a tractor-trailer around 4:00 am. The driver of the pickup truck was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the big rig suffered no injuries, according to NBC 3.
Our Knoxville trucking accident attorneys understand that this accident contributed to the sixth traffic-accident fatality in Bradley County in the last five weeks. County officials continue to investigate all of the accidents. Most of the people who were killed in the recent accidents were under the age of 30. The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, Bradley County Fire Rescue and Bradley County Emergency Medical Service all assisted with the most recent accident.
It’s no surprise that accidents with semis oftentimes produce fatal results. Their large size and tremendous weight overpowers every vehicle on our roadways. Along with their size come large blind spots. It is in these large blind spots that many motorists get lost and forgotten. When a tractor-trailer driver is unable to see a passenger vehicle, the result is oftentimes catastrophic.
Another common problem that leads to fatal accidents that involve semis and tractor-trailers is when they attempt to negotiate a right-hand turn. When a truck does this, the driver of the big rig is required to swing the truck far to the left just in order to make the right-hand turn. This wide swing can leave a smaller vehicle in a tight squeeze between the truck and a curb.
Semis and tractor-trailers also need a greater stopping distance than smaller passenger-vehicles. It is not uncommon for a large truck to rear-end a passenger vehicle simply because of a lack of stopping distance. All of these scenarios can quickly turn deadly.
According to 2007 national truck accident records:
-More than 4,584 trucks involved in fatal accidents.
-More than 4,800 deaths resulted from accidents that involved a semi.
-Nearly 140,000 commercial trucks were involved in non-fatal accidents.
-Nearly 57,000 semis were involved in injury collisions.
-More than 3,900 injuries resulted in accidents involving commercial trucks.
-Approximately 83,100 trucks were involved in tow away accidents.
-There were nearly 2,250 large trucks involved in Hazmat placard accidents.
“We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Motorists who are involved in traffic accidents with tractor-trailers and are severely injured can unfortunately expect to look forward to overwhelming medical bills, lost time from work, pain and suffering. Contacting an experienced lawyer can help you to determine fault in the accident and help you take on the driver and quite possibly the trucking company to get you the compensation you deserve.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a trucking or car accident in Tennessee, contact Hartsoe Law Firm, P.C. for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights with our Knoxville injury lawyers and Maryville accident attorneys. Call (877) 472-5657.
Additional Resources:
Fatal wrong-way crash on I-75 S, by Ken Nicholson, NBC 3
More Blog Entries:
Stranded Motorist Killed by Tractor-Trailer in Tennessee Trucking Accident, Tennessee Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, July 27, 2011
Feds Tout Enforcement in Reduction of Tennessee Trucking Accidents, Tennessee Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, July 19, 2011
FMCSA to Take Jurisdiction over Shippers to Reduce Drowsy Driving Trucking Accidents in Tennessee and Elsewhere, Tennessee Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, August 5, 2011