TriCities.com is reporting a Unicoi County woman was killed and another seriously injured in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident that occurred in Washington County.
Knoxville injury lawyers will note that the initial investigation blames the driver of the passenger vehicle for crossing the center line into the path of the tractor trailer. However, a thorough investigation should always be conducted when a motorist is seriously injured or killed in an accident with a semi in Tennessee.
A truck driver could be determined to have violated hours-of-service rules, may have been text messaging in violation of new federal laws, or may have been under the influence. In other cases, a truck may have not been properly serviced or otherwise be in poor mechanical shape, which could have contributed to the accident.
And Tennessee’s comparative negligence law permits a victim to recover damages, even if it is determined that he or she was partly at fault in the accident. You may also be entitled to seek damages from your own insurance company.
Regardless of fault, the family of the fatally injured passenger may file a Tennessee wrongful death claim against the insurer of whomever is ultimately found to be responsible for the accident.
Trucking accidents in Knoxville, Maryville and throughout Tennessee are complex cases precisely because of the state and federal regulations that govern truck drivers. And because the accidents often lead to multiple victims, competing claims and very serious or fatal injuries. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that three-quarters of those injured or killed in trucking accidents were occupants of other vehicles involved in the accident.
In 2008, more than 90,000 were injured and 4,229 motorists were killed in 380,000 trucking accidents on the nation’s roads.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a trucking 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.