Tennessee Trucking Accident Illustrates Summer Dangers

A Tennessee trucking accident left a tractor-trailer on its side on Highway 25-E just south of Springdale BP, according to the Claiborne Progress. The accident happened when the load shifted as the truck was heading around a curve and caused it to topple over on its side. The accident took out about 200 feet of guardrail and left debris scattered across the road.

The Springdale Volunteer Fire Department, Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol and Claiborne County EMS responded to the trucking accident. Authorities remained on scene for several hours. The tractor-trailer had to be towed off scene and debris cleared from the roadways. The driver only received minor injuries.

Our Tennessee trucking accident attorneys understand that the number of traffic accidents typically increases through the summer months. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured in this accident, but as travel on our roadway drastically increases, so will the number of serious trucking accidents. A motorist’s most dangerous time to be traveling on our roadway may be when they’re driving alongside large trucks. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving a car, truck, SUV, RV, riding your bike or walking, you are more likely to suffer severe injury if you are involved in a traffic accident with a tractor-trailer in Tennessee. During these types of accidents, occupants of a passenger vehicle sustain nearly 80 percent of fatalities.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is all about keeping you safe this summer! Through their Share the Road Safely program, the Administration aims to increase the knowledge of drivers to help reduce their risks of being involved in a car or trucking accident in Tennessee. Sharing the road with these large vehicles can be dangerous. Here are a few tips to help you to drive safer:

-Don’t cut them off. Trucks and buses typically take much longer to stop in comparison to cars. If you do pass a large truck, look for the front of the truck in your rear-view mirror before you pull in front of the truck.

-Always wear your seat belt. Seat belts have been proven to protect vehicle occupants in the event of an accident, especially in accidents with large trucks. A seat belt will keep you from hitting the steering wheel or windshield, being thrown around and from being ejected from the car upon impact.

-Stay out of blind spots! Large trucks have large blind spots. These are zones that surround the vehicle in which the driver cannot see you, or your vehicle. If you can’t see the driver in the truck’s mirror, the truck driver can’t see you.

-Keep your eyes, and your mind, on the road. Refrain from engaging in distracting driving habits. A split second can mean the difference between a safe car trip and a deadly accident.

-Don’t squeeze in. Be careful of trucks making they’re right turns. Trucks needs to take wider turns than passenger vehicles. If you try to get in between the truck and the curb when they’re making a turn, you’ll be caught in a “squeeze” and can suffer a serious accident.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in nine traffic accident deaths involved a truck in 2008. During that year, 380,000 trucks were involved in traffic accidents on our roadways. These accidents resulted in nearly 4,500 deaths and 90,000 injuries.

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 (865) 804-1011.

Additional Resources: Tractor trailer turns over when load shifts in curve, by Ashley Hurley, Claiborne Progress

More Blog Entries: New Proposals Aim to Reduce Risk of Tennessee Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Tennessee Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, May 17, 2011 Teens Unite to Raise Awareness of Trucking Accidents in Tennessee and Elsewhere, Tennessee Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, June 11, 2011 New Program Aims to Help Those Severely Injured in Tennessee Vehicle Accidents, Tennessee Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, June 7, 2011