Everyday seems to bring news of another tractor-trailer or tour bus crash on East Coast interstates in which the commercial vehicle’s driver or someone in a car, pickup or SUV suffered injuries or got killed. Too often, the wreck was caused by the big rig or bus. And too many times, the at-fault driver lacked the proper training, license or health — the trucker was sick or impaired by drugs or alcohol. Sometimes, the vehicle itself was unsafe because it had bad tires, inadequate equipment, even a poor hitch between cab and trailer.

Roadside inspections can get potentially dangerous drivers, 18-wheelers and large buses off the road before accidents happen. Recognizing this, trucking and busing groups, state and local police departments, and the Federal Motor Carrier Association have teamed up for years to support random checks of commercial trucks and buses.

A state in which a cooperative random roadside safety inspection program is working particularly well is Pennsylvania (PA), There, according to the Pocono Times, the 2010 Pennsylvania Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program made it possible for “more than 93,000 random truck inspections [to be] conducted across the state, a 14 percent increase from 2009.”

In Virginia (VA), where tour bus crashes on interstates recently claimed several lives and injured dozens more, state troopers participated in Roadcheck 2011 during early June. The goal of that operation was to ensure more than 70,000 truckers, trucks, bus drivers and buses were interviewed and inspected across Canada, Mexico and the United States to increase safety.

Such programs work — up to a point. FMCSA data show that the rate of fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled by large trucks and buses have fallen consistently from 3.82 in 2008 to 1.17 in 2010. The goal, of course, is 0 per every mile traveled.

Still, as a Virginia-based attorney who has often represented victims of trucking accidents, I’m encouraged by the trend. Unsafe vehicles and drivers have no business doing business on U.S. highways. I’d like to see programs that encourage and support roadside inspections of commercial vehicles extended.

EJL

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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My colleague John Cooper recently published an article explaining the safety ramifications of conducting federally required pretrip safety inspections on commercial trucks and vehicles ranging from tractor-trailers and oil tankers to tour buses. Commercial truck drivers who do not identify and fix broken or malfunctioning parts on their vehicles put themselves and everyone else on the road at risk for injuries and death. To learn more, read “The Importance of Vehicle Preinspections by Commercial Truck Drivers.”

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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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A woman who had recently moved south from Portsmouth, Virginia (VA), lost her life when an 18-wheeler carrying concrete mix struck her turning vehicle on U.S. 17. The trucker was also injured in the crash that remains under investigation.  To read more, click over to “Portsmouth, VA Woman Killed in Collision With 18-Wheeler.”

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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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New federal rules limiting nearly all interstate commercial truck drivers to 10 hours behind the wheel each day and daily work shifts, including loading and unloading periods, of 14 hours are set to take effect on July 26, 2011. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration decided to cut drive times and total work hours in light of increasing evidence that fatigued drivers operating semis, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, tanker trucks and flatbeds are as, and sometimes more, dangerous than drunk or drugged drivers.

FMCSA has consistently tightened the hours of service (HOS) regulations over the past decade, and requiring more rest for truckers has worked to decrease the number of accidents caused by drowsy truckers and commercial truck drivers who fell asleep at the wheel. Nationwide statistics cited by the Wall Street Journal indicate that deaths in highway crashes involving large trucks dropped by more than 2,000 from 2007 to 2009. “Over the same period, the number of truck accidents that caused injuries dropped to 51,000 from 72,000,” the newspaper reported.

Despite this evidence for the beneficial effects of shorter HOS, the American Trucking Association, which represents the interests of companies that employ truck drivers, has vigorously protested the latest FMCSA action. The trucking trade group  has tried to debunk peer-reviewed research showing that tired drivers are dangerous drivers and argued against reducing allowable hours of service mostly on the grounds that the companies ATA represents would have to hire more drivers.

In essence, any debate over HOS comes down an argument between rulemakers want to protect drivers and corporate executives who want to maximize profits. Faced with those options, I’m going to choose lives over money. If nothing else, ATA fails to acknowledge that many of the injury-causing and fatal accidents prevented by ensuring truck drivers get more rest will be crashes between two or more semis or tractor-trailers that do not occur.

My Virginia Beach, VA-based personal injury colleagues and I know that driver fatigue plays a role in a significant number of serious wrecks involving commercial trucks. Drowsy driving is something we always consider when a potential injury or wrongful death client approaches us concerning a nighttime or early-morning accident. Even if lowering hours of service for truckers does increase trucking companies’ cost of doing business — and subsequently raise some prices for consumers — that money will be an excellent investment in all Americans’ health and safety.

EJL

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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Like too many previous celebration of America’s independence, Fourth of July 2011 has the potential to be a deadly diving day on the roads and highways of Virginia (VA), North Carolina (NC) and every other state. Citing National Highway Transportation Safety Administration statistics, msn.com noted that the days leading up to and including July 4 regularly see more fatal car, truck, motorcycle and SUV accidents than any other holiday weekend.

“In the summer of 2008 …, 491 people died in car accidents during the three-day Fourth of July weekend. Out of that total, 43 percent died as a result of alcohol-impaired driving,” the website reported.

As a Virginia Beach, VA-based personal injury attorney who has represented injury and wrongful death victims following car and truck wrecks for nearly 25 years, I know firsthand that no crash that kills or injures is a welcome event. But accidents at otherwise happy times can be especially devastating.

In an effort to keep traffic accidents to a minimum this July 4th, and all summer long and year round, the American Trucking Associations, recently published the top 10 safe driving tips from commercial truck drivers.  While the advice is specifically intended to prevent collisions between 18-wheelers, semis, tanker trucks, flatbeds and smaller vehicles, following this advice from people who have logged literally millions of miles behind the wheels of big rigs should help everyone reach their destination safely every time.

• Prepare Your Vehicle: Checking your radiator, oil, and wipers and getting any necessary maintenance can help you avoid many of the problems that strand motorists on the side of the road.
• Check and Inflate Your Tires to the Proper Pressure: Overinflated tires can blow out. Underinflated tires make your vehicle harder to control. And having too much or too little air in your tires lowers your vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
• Drive the Speed Limit: Observing posted speed limits saves money on gas and reduces wear and tear on vehicles. Resisting the urge to speed also makes any driver or motorcyclist more safe. Maintaining a constant speed can reduce fuel costs by 30 percent and give you more time to react to changing road conditions or mistakes by other motorists.
• Remember That Large Trucks Have Large Blind Spots: Drivers of tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers simply cannot see you if you are beside their rigs. If you can’t see a trucker driver in his or her rearview mirror, the truck driver can’t see you.
• Keep Bottled Water in Your Vehicle: A summer emergency kit containing extra water, sunsreen and nonperishable food in addition to flares and tools is as essential as a winter driving kit containing a blanket and chemical hand and foot warmers. Never allow yourself to get stranded without emergency supplies.
• Park Safely Out of Traffic Before Using Your Cell Phone or Any Other Handheld Electronic Device: Taking your eyes and mind off the road and vehicles around you for even two seconds doubles your chance of causing or being involved in a crash.
• Do Not Cut Off Large Trucks: The longer and heavier a truck is, the longer its driver needs to stop. Keep that in mind when changing lanes in front of big rig.
• Honor Right-of-Way When Merging and Turning: You must yield to oncoming traffic whenever you enter a highway from an on-ramp, use an off-ramp or make a right- or left-hand turn from a light, intersection or parking lot. When you do merge, get up to highway speed quickly and do not slow down in front of an 18-wheeler or semi.
• Respond Calmly to Emergencies: If you get in trouble, put on your emergency blinkers and slow down smoothly before coming to a stop on a shoulder or in an emergency lane. Do not stop in the flow of traffic and, at the same time, move over or slow down when approaching police, broken down vehicles or road crews beside the road.
• Save Fuel: Take direct routes, make few side trips and keep your engine well-tuned. You’ll see noticeable savings on fuel and lower your chances of running out of gas when stuck in traffic.

Stay safe, and have a great Fourth.

EJL

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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Tractor trailers and 18-wheelers are causing major safety concerns along the mountainous Va. 56 road that makes its way through the villages of Vesuvius and Montebello. The road is winding and features sharp curves so large trucks routinely get stuck when trying to maneuver, or get involved in serious tractor trailer accidents.

“It really is a real inconvenience for everybody, plus a danger,” said Vesuvius resident Kitty Cash, according to an article on newsleader.com. “That’s what really scares me.”

Tractor trailers use Va. 56 because it is a short cut between I-81 and US 29. This saves truck companies money due to the decreased mileage. In fact, some truckers have said a company dispatcher will insist they take the route, according to the newsleader.com article.

This is disturbing, but not surprising. It is disturbing that a truck company would actually encourage their employees to risk their lives, and the cargo on the tractor trailer, to save a few dollars on mileage. However, it is not surprising since truck companies are notorious for trying to maximize profit, even if it means decreased safety.

If a resident of Vesuvius or Montebello gets seriously hurt in an accident involving one of these large trucks, consult with an attorney. There may be a case for negligence when a trucker caused an accident with your vehicle and was told to take the Va. 56 route even though the vehicle was too large, or not capable, or traveling on this winding, treacherous road.

As a UVA law student, I would regularly drive for fun on these roads in Central Virginia to enjoy the beauty of the country and the thrill of twisting highway in the hills. I am glad I did not run into a out of control big rig on those curves.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have experience handling truck accident cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) although our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY, FL and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as pro bono public information services.

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“In 2009, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving.”

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration lists the above as the top “highlight” of a September 2010 Traffic Safety Facts Research Note. Another 16 percent of U.S. traffic accidents in which someone got killed involved at least one distracted driver. Teens and adults younger than 30 had the highest numbers of injuries and deaths in distracted driving accidents.

Some highlights.

Distractions leading to driving-related injuries and fatalities include using cell phones to talk or text, eating, speaking with passengers and simply taking one’s eyes off the road. A study by Virginia Tech researchers showed that drivers of large commercial trucks such as 18-wheelers, semis and tractor-trailers of all sizes posed particular risks to themselves and others when they allowed themselves to become distracted. Big rig drivers appear nearly 20 times more likely to have accidents than other motorists.

A totally incomplete record of the deaths and injuries caused by distracted truck, car and van drivers in just 2010 makes up a distressingly large amount of the content of this blog:

• “Driver Killed When Tractor-Trailer Driver Runs Red Light in Virginia Beach, VA“
• “Nine Car Accident Starts With Distracted Driver, Ends With Faulty Brakes“
• “Fiery Tractor-Trailer Crash on I-64“

Federal, state and industry efforts to prevent and crack down on distracted driving by proposing and adopting bans on texting by drivers and banning hand held cell phone use behind the wheel have made a dent in the problem. Those measures can only go so far, especially as more and more distractions — even in-dash televisions and Internet-enabled computers — appear in new vehicles.

All drivers need to keep their minds and eyes on their driving. This is especially true for truck drivers, because the damage they can do — the lives they can destroy — is so great.

EJL

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have experience handling truck accident cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA), but our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in NC, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now. We provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, Eastern Shore Virginia Injury Attorneys Blog and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.

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When we hear in the news that a fire fighter has been killed, we expect it to be while in the line of duty, not in a car accident.  So I was surprised and saddened to learn of the death of a Clifton Forge Firefighter, Mr. Ashley Weikle.

Ashley was killed in a fatal crash on Interstate 64 (I-64) in Roanoke, Virginia (VA) on Dec. 3, 2010.  He was involved in a head on accident with another tractor trailer.  According to state police, the at-fault driver ran off the left side of the interstate, crossed the median and hit Ashley, sending the cab of his truck plunging into the river.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family.  It is terrible to lose someone in a preventable accident, even more so during this time of year. 

The driver of the other big rig was not hurt but was charged with reckless driving.

There is no word yet why the at-fault drive lost control, but the power, size and weight of a commercial tractor-trailer make the impact of a truck collision much worse and the chance of serious injury and death much higher. The death rate for truck crashes is 50 percent higher than for car accidents, and many injuries may cause life-long disability and permanent or chronic health problems.
CA.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have experience handling truck accident cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Though not every case meets our criteria, we offer free, initial consultations so give us a call at 1-800-752-0042. If you can’t get through due to high call volume, please leave a message and we will return your call promptly. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) although our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY, FL and DC. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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By Rick Shapiro, Personal Injury Attorney

Have you ever noticed that a little rain or a little fog will turn the interstate into a warzone?  You’d think that the poor weather conditions would make drivers more cautious.  However as we all well know, that is often not the case.  Tuesday morning on Interstate 77 (I-77), near the North Carolina (NC) and Virginia (VA) state line, a series of five crashes killed two people and sent 16 others to the hospital, reports the State Police.

The chaos began when a group of cars and big rigs crashed in the fog.  Whether they were driving to fast for the weather conditions, or driving distracted we don’t know.  But we do know that a chain reaction of crashes continued after that.

State Police described the scene as “vehicles are literally stacked on top of one another. Tractor-trailers are jackknifed and/or overturned onto their sides.”

Officers say two people died in the I-77 southbound crashes, while rescue crews took the injured to hospitals in Virginia and North Carolina.  Of the 16 who were hurt, State Police say four were seriously hurt. 

I really feel bad for all those injured, especially the two folks who lost their life.  My thoughts go out to their families and their tragic loss during this holiday season. 

These types of accidents are not only traumatic but also very confusing for all those involved.  Who is at fault when a car rear-ends you and pushes you into another car?  With all the fog and accidents, who really hit who?  It can be a major headache for you in determining liability and filing a claim with your insurance company.

CA.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have experience handling truck accident cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Though not every case meets our criteria, we offer free, initial consultations so give us a call at 1-800-752-0042. If you can’t get through due to high call volume, please leave a message and we will return your call promptly. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) although our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY, FL and DC. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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