Articles Posted in Tractor-Trailer Accidents

A runaway truck rolled down a hill, took a fence down and crossed over two interstate ramps before striking a guard rail. The Tennessee trucking accident ended with the truck coming to rest underneath the Interstate 26 underpass last Wednesday evening, according to Volunteer TV.

Tennessee Highway Patrol and police are still investigating what caused the truck to venture off without supervision.

Fortunately, no one was injured in this accident, but that’s not usually the case in accidents involving these large tractor-trailers. Our Tennessee truck accident attorneys understand that accidents involving these large trucks oftentimes result in serious injury — or death. Because of their large size and heavy weight, these vehicles come with a lot of force and power and have the ability to cause a lot of damage.

There’s a new program to help the victims of these accidents that involve large trucks. According to USA Today, there’s a new national program that will allow emergency responders to get much needed information from seriously injured victims in the event of an accident. This new program is fueled by the growing number of maturing Baby Boomers.

This program is referred to as the Yellow Dot Program. Here’s how it works: Participating drivers will place a yellow dot sticker on the rear windshield of their window. This is to notify emergency responders of a folder that is located in the glove box of the vehicle. This folder is to be marked with the same yellow sticker and is to contain vital information including medical conditions, emergency contacts, a photograph of the driver, prescription information and other vital information.

“It’s a promising approach,” says Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association. “Actually, this is one of the goals of automated crash notification systems. Eventually, when there is a crash, these key data such as medication needed will automatically be available to EMTs, etc. The Yellow Dot program may be a system that can be helpful in the meantime.”

The chances of survival are greatly increased when this information is readily available within the “golden hour,” or the first 60 minutes after an accident.

“The residents of the state … realize the importance of it, particularly someone with a lot of medical issues. The second group is the first responders, because they know when they arrive, if the person is unable to communicate, they know they can go to the glove compartment and get the information they need, and they can do it immediately without wasting a lot of time,” says Lora Weaver, program coordinator for the Northeast Alabama Traffic Safety Office.

The nation’s first Yellow Dot program started in 2002 in Connecticut. Yellow Dot programs are in effect in counties scattered across at least eight states.

“It is very nice to see innovative programs to address the unique risks associated with older Americans and car crashes,” says Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Since older individuals tend to have more medical conditions, are on more medications and are generally more fragile, this sounds like a well-justified program, especially in light of the growing number of older Americans.”
Continue reading →

A tractor-trailer accident in Tennessee sent a driver to the Huntsville Hospital earlier this month, according to the Times Daily. Police report that the driver was airlifted from the scene of the accident to the hospital. The other driver was treated and released from the Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield.

Both of the tractor-trailers were heading west when the accident occurred. One truck, hauling plastics for a Memphis company, left the Sprint Mart truck stop when the accident occurred. A second truck, hauling grain for a Ripley company collided into the other truck. The accident took place shortly after 11:00 a.m. on U.S. 72 near Old Lee Highway.

A Knoxville trucking accident attorney should always be contacted in the wake of an accident involving a tractor-trailer or semi-truck as injuries and damages can be severe because of the size and weight of these massive vehicles.

“For some reason he didn’t see her,” Tuscumbia police Sgt. Mike Smallwood said. “A witness who passed (Jefferson’s truck) said he saw (Willis’ truck) just run into the back of the first one.”

Emergency responders from the fire departments of from Tuscumbia and Locust Shores worked at the accident for more than 25 minutes trying to cut the wreckage away from the one driver.

Debris from the two vehicles involved in the accident covered the two westbound lanes of the Interstate. The impact of the accident was so severe that it knocked the entire engine out of one of the trucks and dislodged the rear axle from the other truck.

Colbert County HazMat team members were called to the scene to help cleanup any fuel and oil that may have spilled during the accident. The Tuscumbia police are still investigating the accident.

A second accident, on interstate highway in Oklahoma, occurred when a tractor-trailer truck struck a dozen cars and killed ten people. The cars were stopped because of an earlier fender-bender. Instead of slowing down and traveling around the clutter, the truck traveled right through the congestion at nearly 70 mph, according to the Associated Press. The truck rolled over three vehicles and dragged them along until it smashed into the others and finally came to a halt.

Investigators report that the truck driver was driving with less than five hours of sleep from the previous night. He had been driving for a total of ten hours at the time.

“Even if you don’t necessarily have more crashes, when there is a crash, there is more damage,” said Henry Jasny, general counsel for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

Because of these, and other serious trucking accidents, the National Transportation Safety Board administered a two-day forum last week to gather the thoughts of safety experts, federal regulators and the truck and bus industries to help create ideas and action plans to help prevent these types of fatal accidents and to discuss why previous safety recommendations have yet to be enacted.

“We must remind ourselves that each data point in these statistics represents a family member that will never come home to loved ones,” said NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

The NTSB has approximately 100 bus safety recommendations that have yet to be filed. In 1968, the board first recommended that buses be required to come with seat belts for all passengers, but it wasn’t until last year these seat belt recommendations were proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That rule, which has not been finalized, does not apply to buses that are already on the road.

“From an economic standpoint, it would do a great deal of harm to this industry and wouldn’t improve safety,” said Dave Osiecki, senior vice president at the American Trucking Associations.

While the industry is concerned about profits, motorists need to be concerned about their own safety when around these big rigs.
Continue reading →

FocusDriven and the National Safety Council (NSC) are combining forces for the first ever National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Our Knoxville personal injury lawyers realize the horrific toll a distracted driving accident can have on a family. For over a decade we have represented clients who were involved in Tennessee trucking accidents, caused by distracted driving. Federal law now prohibits truckers from texting while driving — a law prohibiting them from using all hand-held cell phones has been proposed. Seeking the advice of an experienced attorney to help determine whether a trucking accident was caused by driver distraction or other violations of state and federal rules is the best course of action to protect your rights and the financial well-being of you and your family.

During the month of April, FocusDriven (advocates for cell-free driving) and NSC will urge Americans to put away their cell phones while driving. It is estimated that roughly 1.6 million crashes annually are caused by drivers using their hands-free or handheld cell phones and texting while driving. This is the number one reason for crashes caused by distractions.

These two nonprofit organizations want drivers, starting this month, to never use cell phones again while driving. They urge drivers to change their voicemail message to something like, “I can’t take your call right now because I am driving, but I will get back to you as soon as I can.” They want drivers to either turn off or silence their phones while driving, thus eliminating the distraction of an incoming call or text message.

“If drivers can go one month without using their phones while driving, they will find out – as many of us have – work still gets done. Many drivers realize most of the calls they thought were so important, really aren’t. It is our hope drivers will decide to make the change permanently. Doing so will make our roadways safer for everyone,” said Jennifer Smith, FocusDriven president and founding board member.

Employers should not encourage their employees to mix work and driving.

“National Distracted Driving Awareness Month also is the perfect opportunity for businesses to implement cell phone policies to protect employees. When businesses allow employees to conduct business on cell phones while driving, they are putting their employees at a 4 times greater risk of a crash,” said Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO. “NSC provides many resources, including a free Cell Phone Policy Kit, to help businesses protect employees.”

In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that over 295,000 large trucks were involved in crashes and 3,215 were involved in fatal crashes. Sadly 3,380 lose their lives in accidents involving large trucks and more than 70,000 people sustained injuries. In Tennessee out of 1,307 vehicles involved in deadly crashes, 6.7% were large trucks.
Continue reading →

Governor Phil Bredesen is teaming up with various states across the nation to help kick off National Work Zone Awareness Week. Bredesen hopes this campaign will help reduce the risk of Knoxville trucking accidents and car accidents in congested work zones.

Government officials will be teaming up with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to organize events throughout the state in an attempt to emphasize the importance of safe driving throughout the construction and maintenance zones on our interstates and highways, according to the Tennessee Government.

Our Knoxville personal injury lawyers urge you to be extra cautious when traveling through these work zones as safe, alert driving may be your greatest defense against a potentially fatal work zone accident. As spring dawns, we can expect to see more and more orange barrels and safety cones on the state’s highway and byways. With these projects in full swing and lanes being altered and narrowed, , truckers and other motorists will be at increased risk of accidents.

“As we head into the busy construction season, motorists will encounter more maintenance workers, utility personnel, and construction workers on Tennessee’s roadways,” said Governor Haslam. “I want to remind all drivers to stay alert and focused and exercise caution and patience when driving through work zones across the state. Doing so will help ensure everyone stays safe.”

According to Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland and Security, Tennessee lost the l100 lives because of highway work zone crashes in the last 3 years. These statistics have prompted TDOT officials to launch a new “Merge Left” project, excepted to get underway in the next few months. Nearly 20 fatalities resulted from work zone accidents in Tennessee alone in 2009, according to The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse. The United States saw almost 700 work zone crash fatalities.

“It is a simple concept for drivers, but one that we hope will save lives and help relieve construction related backups on our highways and interstates,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “We will be designing the entrance of many new work zones to flow to the left. This will create consistency throughout the state. Drivers will know which way to go, and what to expect. Merge left and merge early.”
Continue reading →

Road Safe America has been waiting patiently for three years for the federal government to act on Docket # FMCSA-2007-27748, which would require minimum standards for anyone in the U.S. wanting a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).

Our Knoxville personal injury lawyers know that improperly trained tractor-trailer drivers pose a huge risk to Tennessee motorists and greatly increase the chance of Tennessee trucking accidents.

It would be reassuring to know, when we see a big rig traveling down the highway, that a professionally trained driver is behind the wheel. Unfortunately, it is not always the case. Currently the U.S. Department of Transportation has not mandated any minimum standards concerning truck driver training.

Acceptable training choices for most drivers are either through the carrier they choose to work for or through a private truck driver training school, which are available in most states. But here lies the problem; in almost every state, to get a CDL requires just 2 steps. Step one is to pass a written test on the trucking industry and the complex rules regarding trucks. Step two is to pass a driving test usually consisting of on-the-road driving, a parking lot skills test and a visual inspection exercise.

There are no minimum standards of behind-the-wheel training or classroom time. It is entirely possible for someone to study the training manuals, have a friend teach them about the driving portion of the test and pass the CDL test. Would you go to a doctor who only passed tests in medical school and never interacted with real patients? But sadly the government allows improperly trained drivers operate 80,000 pound trucks, which can have deadly consequences.

The federal government needs to stop dragging its feet on Docket # FMCSA-2007-27748, which would require mandatory training for new operators of commercial motor vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 380,000 large truck crashes in 2008. Over 90,000 people sustained injuries and 4,229 were killed. In Tennessee, 6.7% of vehicles involved in fatal crashes are large trucks.
Continue reading →

A 76-year-old Kentucky County Commissioner died after his Fort Explorer collided with a Mack truck last week, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Tennessee trucking accident pose a serious threat to motorists — more than 70 percent of those killed in trucking accidents are occupants of passenger vehicles. Most recently, safety advocates report issues with rear-end collisions involving tractor-trailers and faulty underride guards. Tennessee truck accident lawyers urge you to contact an experienced attorney if you or a loved one have been involved in a commercial-driving crash.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested the effectiveness of underride guards on tractor-trailers and discovered they are prone to buckle in low-speed crashes. These failing underride guards prove often fatal to passenger-vehicle motorists involved in rear-end tractor-trailer accidents.

The driver of the Mack truck was not injured, while the Tennessee County Commissioner died.

American Trucking Associations President Bill Grave said in a CBS interview that the trucking industry is aware of the faulty design. He adds that these standards were set nearly 50 years ago and may not be adequate for today, according to Transport Topics.

In 2009, there were more than 3,000 fatal accidents involving trucks and passenger vehicles. In 70 percent of those accidents the occupants of the passenger vehicles died.

America’s Road Team offers these safety tips to drivers sharing the roads with tractor-trailers:

-Do not tailgate. The current standards of the underride guards of many trucks could be causing fatal injuries in an accident.

-Be aware of blind spots. It’s important to remember with any driver that if you can’t see them, they can’t see you. Always be aware of your surroundings.

-Always pay attention. Being alert can help you avoid a potentially fatal accident. Looking away for mere seconds can double your chances of getting into an accident.

-Follow the speed limit. Your chance of getting into an accident nearly triples when driving faster than your surrounding traffic.
Continue reading →