18 Wheeler Hits Pittsylvania County School Bus on Route 40
Sharing the road with tractor trailers can be un-nerving at best and if you knew the statistics of safety and the percentages of surviving a crash with a big rig you might become even more nervous about coming near one on the roads.
Just recently in Franklin County, Virginia, two folks were admitted into the hospital after a tractor trailer struck a Pittsylvania County School bus carrying 15 people on Route 40 just west of the Pittsylvania County line.
One of the students was taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to state police. Ricky Lee Ferguson was the driver of the 18 wheeler and at 52 years of age you would think he had some experience in charge of such a heavy load. As is most often the case, he was unharmed being the truck driver. It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the truck drivers almost always come out of the crash unharmed as compared to the either lifeless or critically injured passenger vehicle occupant that it crashed into.
The school bus driver was dutifully carrying her passengers that day as she has probably for years when this irresponsible truck driver hit the unsuspecting bus riders. While Linda Gail Harris, of Chatham, was driving the bus, carrying 12 students and three adults the 1995 International tractor trailer traveling west crossed the center line and sideswiped the eastbound bus.
After the school bus was struck, the tractor trailer ran off the left side of the highway and struck an embankment. It has been discovered that Ferguson drives for trucking company SWK, Inc. based out of Natural Bridge Station.
It is certain that the school bus was very lucky and had escaped what could have been a very tragic event for Pittsylvania County, In all, the school bus sustained $40,000 in damages, and only $50,000 in damages to the truck. Everyone escaped with their lives. According to the state police, the entire Route 40 was closed for a period of time. The crash is still under investigation and charges are pending.
As this recent horrific close call clearly shows, a tragic accident can occur anytime with a tractor trailer truck. When this occurs there is a high likelihood that a serious injury will be incurred with any passenger vehicle that may be unfortunate enough to stand in its way. In many cases truck drivers are stretched thin and may have been on the road too many hours and could be struggling with exhaustion. Often, truck driving companies push their employees beyond their limits and beyond the limits of the law. When this happens bad road accidents can occur and change lives in an instant.
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), with an office also in Elizabeth City, in Northeast North The trucking injury attorneys with Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm are based in Virginia (VA), with an office also in Elizabeth City, in Northeast North Carolina (NC), practicing primarily in the southeastern U.S. and handles only injury law, including car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our Virginia injury law website is www.HSInjurylaw.com and our Carolina injury law website is: http://carolina.hsinjurylaw.com, the firm edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard and also hosts a YouTube injury law video library with over 50 videos covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.
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September 22, 2009
Tags: 18 wheeler, big rig, Cooper, crash, injury lawyers, route 40, school bus, tractor trailer, traffic accident, Virginia Posted in: Virginia (VA) Trucking Injury/Accidents Topics
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