Virginia Trucking Accident Attorney Blog » National Trucking Accident/Injury Topics

Tractor Trailers: The Bigger They Are, the Worse They Crash

rshapiro — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:15:40 +0000

By Rick Shapiro, Virginia Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney

If you had to guess, would you say tractor-trailer accident fatalities increased or decreased in 2011?

If you said more Americans died in crashes involving large commercial crashes, you are correct. As a Virginia (VA) trucking injury attorney, I’m sad to say that the number rose by 8.7 percent. To put it more visually, nearly 9 more people out of 100 who died in truck wrecks last year than did during 2010. The strange thing is that overall car accidents involving only passenger vehicles decreased.

Find out what regulations the government is trying to impose on tractor-trailers to make interstate travel safer.

About the Editors: The Virginia (VA) trucking accident attorneys at Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton have experience handling truck accident cases in Virginia, North Carolina (NC), and other Southeastern states. Check out our case results, which illustrate our track record of success in truck accident personal injury cases. Trucking injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. They have also been named Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of outstanding attorneys receive. To learn more about Virginia truck accident injury law, take a look at this free report written by an experienced truck wreck injury attorney in Virginia.

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Truck Driver Cited for Crash That Injured Carteret County, NC, Students

rshapiro — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:02:38 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Carolina Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

The driver of a truck determined to be at fault for an accident that sent as many as 24 Carteret County, North Carolina (NC), students to the hospital with minor injuries has been charged with failing to yield right of way to the bus transporting the children.

The driver, who lives in Beaufort, NC, hit the school bus on November 8, 2011, at the intersection of Professional Park Drive and Troon Way.

As experienced North Carolina (NC) trucking accident injury attorneys, my colleagues and I see numerous accidents in which school buses are hit by trucks or cars. In February 2011, for instance, we reported on a wreck in Pamlico County, NC, in which a six-wheel box truck hit a bus and injured several students. In the same month in Garner, NC, four children were injured when a garbage truck hit a Wake County school bus.

It seems far too many truck drivers are driving carelessly. We have represented many clients who have been badly hurt or even killed in truck accidents.

In 2010 our firm attained a $3.5 million settlement after a commercial driver in a tractor-trailer rear-ended a passenger vehicle on I-64 in Norfolk, VA . Our client was the child of a passenger who died in the car that caught fire as a result of the collision.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling truck accident cases. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA), but our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in NC, South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury attorneys host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. Check out our case results. Though not every case meets our criteria, we offer free initial consultations so give us a call at (800) 752-0042. If you can’t get through due to high call volume, please leave a message and we will return your call.

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Driver Perishes in Fire When Two Tanker Trucks Collide

rshapiro — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:40:39 +0000

By Rick Shapiro, Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

Two tanker trucks collided and burst into flames on a freeway near Phoenix, Arizona (AZ) on November 9, 2011, killing one driver. The accident happened when a milk tanker rear-ended a tanker truck carrying about 7,700 gallons of diesel fuel.

The extreme fire caused police in the nearby city of Chandler to order the evacuations of at least two hotels and businesses alongside I-10.

As an experienced Virginia (VA) trucking accident injury attorney my thoughts are with the family of the deceased driver.

When flammable materials are being transported on the highway, there is always a higher risk that the consequences of a wreck will be tragic. That’s what happened in 2008 when a tanker truck went over an embankment near Roanoke, VA, and caught fire. Likewise when a tanker carrying liquid nitrogen rear-ended a car on an I-77 bridge over the Ohio River in West Virginia and sparked a fire that killed three members of a family.

Given the hazardous loads they are carrying drivers of tankers have a high responsibility to drive carefully. If they fail in this responsibility the driver or their employer can face a lawsuit. In 2010 two of my law firm colleagues secured a $3.5 million settlement for the family of a man who was killed in a fiery wreck after his vehicle was rear-ended by a tractor trailer.

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Truck Driver Injured After Being Trapped Under Concrete Slab

jcooper — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:12:51 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

My colleague John Cooper has written a new blog post or our firm’s Carolina persoal injury lawyers’ website about a truck driver who somehow escaped with just a broken leg after being trapped under an 80,000 pound concrete slab following a chain-reaction truck accident on I-85 in North Carolina (NC).

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling truck accident cases. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA), but our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in NC, South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury attorneys host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. Check out our case results. Though not every case meets our criteria, we offer free initial consultations so give us a call at (800) 752-0042. If you can’t get through due to high call volume, please leave a message and we will return your call.

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Virginia Truck Accidents: The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Crash

jcooper — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:27:51 +0000

By John Cooper, Virginia Truck Accident Attorney

Driving across Virginia (VA) delivering supplies is a good honest job. With thousands of trucks from all over the country, fatigued and distracted drivers, and less-than-ideal weather conditions, too many people are injured in commercial vehicle accidents and truck crashes. One of firm’s our best Virginia car accident attorneys looks at startling new truck accident statistics and what can be done for truck injury victims.

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West Virginia (WV) Tractor-Trailer Crashes on the Rise

rshapiro — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 01:59:30 +0000

By Richard N. Shapiro, West Virginia Trucking Accident Attorney

Anytime you are involved in a car accident, it is traumatic. If you have children and they are injured, that makes it all the worse. A West Virginia (WV) candidate for govenor and his children were hurt in a tractor-trailer accident caused by a reckless driver. What are the the main differences between a car accident and a truck accident? An experienced trucking attorney with our Virginia (VA)-based law firm, John Cooper, uses the candidate family’s accident to explore the differences.

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Truck Accidents More Likely When Hauling Heavy Loads

rshapiro — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:35:38 +0000

By Richard N Shapiro, West Virginia (WV) Trucking Injury Attorney

Truck accidents tend to be catastrophic when they occur. What can drivers do to lesson the risk of becoming a victim in a truck accident injury? An experienced trucking attorney with our law firm, John Cooper, examines a recent West Virginia (WV) tractor-trailer accident.

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WV Man Critically Injured While Collecting Debris That Fell From Poorly Loaded Truck

rshapiro — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:10:06 +0000

By Rick Shapiro, West Virginia Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

An unsecured load on a truck has been identified as the cause of a serious West Virginia (WV) truck accident that left a man in critical condition.

The incident took place on September 14, 2011, on the New Martinsville Bridge in Wetzel County, WV. State troopers reported an object fell off a truck that was hauling junk across the bridge. The victim, later identified as Dwight Wade, got out of his own truck to remove the debris from the road and was then hit by a car.

Police have cited the truck driver for having an unsecured load. While a driver hit Wade another driver rear-ended his truck. Charges are pending against both men, police told WTOV9.com.

The serious chain-reaction accident could have been avoided if the junk truck driver had secured his load, and our thoughts are with the victim who tried to make the highway safer by removing debris.

The experienced trucking injury attorneys with our Virginia-based law firm see far too many accidents that are caused by objects falling off trucks. Recently, we noted how improperly loaded trucks are a major cause of accidents on VA highways and in North Carolina (NC). We also noted that unsafe loads can leaving a driver or trucking company facing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

Debris falling from trucks can sometimes prove to be fatal. In March 2010 we reported on how a forestry worker was killed in a freak accident in North Carolina when a 3-foot wide aluminum disk, believed to be from a truck, flew into the windshield of his SUV and struck him on the head.

Additionally, a truck that’s overloaded is heavier, more likely to develop mechanical problems and is far more likely to rear-end anther vehicle when quicking stopping is required. Last, an overloaded truck is more likely to be unable to avoid an accident if it is quickly approaching a dangerous situation.

In the most-recent West Virginia accident the injured driver could have a case against the truck driver who failed to secure his load or the driver who hit him. When drivers are going too fast or tailgating there is less time to avert a crash.

To learn more, read this FAQ about a Virginia Beach, VA, driver who was rear-ended by a driver following too closely.

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Woman Killed After Truck Part Hits Her Car’s Windshield

rshapiro — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:09:58 +0000

By Kevin Duffan, Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

My colleague Rick Shapiro has written a new post on our Carolina personal injury attorney’s website about a Dallas, NC, woman who died after a leaf spring broke free from a dump truck went through her car’s windshield. The impact of the piece of metal likely led the woman to lose control of her car in the accident that claimed her life.

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Truckers Issue Safety Tips for Labor Day Weekend

jcooper — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:48:34 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

My colleague John Cooper has written a new blog on our firm’s Virginia (VA) personal injury lawyers’ website about how the American Trucking Associations has issued a number of travel tips for Labor Day. The truckers’ advice comes against a backdrop of an increase in road deaths on the Labor Day weekend in Virginia.

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