Virginia Trucking Accident Attorney Blog » accident

Box Truck Driver Injured in Crash With Tractor-Trailer on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

rshapiro — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:34:49 +0000

By Kevin Duffan, Injured Truck Driver Lawyer in Virginia

In his latest post to our firm’s Eastern Shore Virginia Injury Attorneys Blog, my colleague Randy Appleton reports on a collision between a semi and smaller commercial truck on Route 13 in Machipongo, VA, that left a box truck driver injured. Randy notes that the box truck driver hit the tractor-trailer after the semi jackknifed, which highlights the dangers truckers create when they lose control of their vehicles. To read more, click over to “Semi Crash on Route 13 in Machipongo Sends Trucker to Hospital With Injuries.”

EJL

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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Trucker Dies in Rear-End Collision on I-81 in Rockbridge County, VA

rshapiro — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:51:09 +0000

By Kevin Duffan, Truck Accident Victim’s Attorney in Virginia

A long-haul truck driver from Birmingham, Alabama (AL), lost his life in a rear-end collision with another tractor-trailer on I-81 in Rockbridge County, Virginia (VA), early in the evening of January 30, 2012. According to the Roanoke Times, the man ran into the back of a stalled semi in the right-hand lane of the interstate, which was temporarily closed for repairs. The man in the stopped truck was not hurt in the crash near the 197 mile marker just north of Lexington, VA.

View a larger ma of the stretch of I-81 near Lexington, VA, where two semis collided and a trucker lost his life.

Police have not determined why the one semi was stopped in what would normally be a traffic lane, nor why the deceased trucker was unable to stop or change lanes in time to avoid the fatal crash. Regardless of the circumstance, my fellow Virginia truck accident victims’ attorney colleagues and I send our heartfelt condolences to the friends and family members of the man who lost his life.

Stopping on the highway, even on the shoulder, always creates risks for people in the pulled-over vehicles and everyone passing by. That written, and especially on interstates with posted speed limits of 70 mph or higher, all drivers need to be on the lookout for disabled vehicles. Virginia strengthened its move-over law that requires drivers to slow down or, when safe, change lanes to give space to emergency responders specifically to prevent fatal crashes.

EJL

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Dump Truck Accident Near Charlottesville, VA Injures Two

rshapiro — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:32:08 +0000

By Kevin Duffan, Truck Accident Victim’s Attorney in Virginia

A dump truck tire blowout on VA Route 20 just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, on January 16, 2012, sent the truck and a small car being driven nearby careening off the road and into the woods. According to WVIR-TV NBC 29, both the car’s driver and the dump truck operator suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment. Both people were able to return home the same day, but the truck driver had to be cut from the cab of his vehicle.

As a Virginia personal injury attorney whose law firm often represents victims of trucking accidents, I know that the wrecks caused by failing equipment can often be deadly. Both the people involved in the Charlottesville crash can be considered lucky to have not been injured more severely.

At the same time, the trucker and car driver could also have been victimized by a defective tire. Only a full investigation into the crash can reveal whether the tire blew out because it was improperly inflated, allowed to become bald and unbalanced, driven over a puncture hazard or unsafe in design or by manufacture. Whatever the case of the tire failure, there is a cause and either the company owning and operating the dump truck or the tire maker can and should be held liable for injuries resulting from the accident.

EJL

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Tanker Truck Endangers Loudoun County Neighborhood

rshapiro — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:34:33 +0000

By Rick Shapiro, Truck Accident Attorney

This month a tanker truck carrying 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel overturned on Highway 15 in Loudoun County, Virginia.

The tanker truck was closely following behind two cars when they apparently slammed on their brakes. In order to avoid hitting the cars, the driver drove into an embankment, and the tanker truck overturned.

No one was hurt in the crash, and no fuel was leaked into the neighboring community.

While we applaud the quick action taken by the truck driver, we personally know that not every story has the same ending. Unfortunately, many truck accidents results in serious injuries to innocent victims. Our firm focuses on helping those accident victims, and we are proud of the results we have achieved in helping them recover from their loss.

Truck accidents in Virginia are very different from common car accidents, and that is why you need to hire a law firm that will send out investigators to collect evidence on your behalf. The truck driver will have several insurance companies all working to make the problem go away quickly. You need someone on your side that will:

Collect any and all forensic evidence including skid marks, debris, vehicle or tire damage, and data systems on the truck are the physical evidence of the accident;
Consult with forensic experts; and
Get through the web of liability including all available responsible parties and relevant insurance that may be available to you or a family member.

To get more info, take a look at this free consumer report, written by a truck accident lawyer in Virginia, discussing what a victim needs to do after a serious accident involving a commercial truck.

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Responding to Tractor-Trailer Crash, Deputy Injured in Head-On Collision

rshapiro — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:58:18 +0000

By Kevin Duffan, Virginia Tractor-Trailer Accident Injury Attorney

A Sussex County, Virginia (VA), sheriff’s deputy and the driver of another car wound up hospitalized with serious but not life-threatening injuries on December 7, 2011, when the officer lost control of his cruiser and hit the other vehicle head-on on Virginia Route 40. According to WTVR CBS6 in Richmond, VA, the deputy was rushing to respond to a collision between two tractor-trailers on nearby I-95.
View a larger map of where a Sussex County, VA sheriff’s deputy was involved in a head-on collision

The big rigs had collided when one of the truckers swerved to avoid hitting yet another vehicle, causing injuries to one of the truck’s operators whose semi jackknifed.

I can’t help but imagine the situation playing out like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster, all squealing brakes and quick cuts to cars and trucks slamming into each in balletic fashion. But as a Virginia personal injury lawyer whose firm regularly helps people injured in crashes involving commercial trucks and head-on collisions, I know there was nothing entertaining or amusing about either of the wrecks.

When large trucks go out of control in real life, the situation often turns deadly. Similarly, any time two cars run into each other head-on, deaths are common. Thankfully, no one lost a life in either of the accidents in Sussex County, but all the injured drivers undoubtedly face large medical treatment costs and long recoveries.

The tractor-trailer driver who caused the interstate accident has been charged with reckless driving. The cause of the crash between the deputy’s cruiser and the car remains under investigation, but if the officer is found to be at fault the other driver could have grounds for filing a civil injury lawsuit.

EJL

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Lawmakers Aim to Regulate Truckers’ Hours to Prevent Fatigue

rshapiro — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:29:47 +0000

By Emily Mapp Brannon, Trucking Accident Attorney

Taking a long road trip gives all drivers an idea of what professional truckers experience, especially fatigue. Even just a few hours a day behind the wheel can strain a person’s attention and focus, and many commercial drivers admit to feeling sleepy behind the wheel. Now, Congress wants to revise the federal truck driver hours of service rule to reduce fatigue. To learn more about the proposed regulation, visit “Congress Proposes Regulations to Prevent Fatigued Truck Driving.”

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Handheld Cell Phone Use Banned for Commercial Truckers

rshapiro — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:20:23 +0000

By James Lewis, Virginia Truck Accident Attorney

A new federal ban of handheld cell phones use for truck and bus drivers prohibits comes in the wake of research showing that commercial drivers reaching for a phone are three times more likely to be involved in an accident. To read more, visit “USOT Bans Truck Drivers’ Cell Phone Use.”

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Hit-and-Run Accident on I-81 Leaves Woman in Critical Condition

rshapiro — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:54:05 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Truck Accident Injury Attorney

Causing an accident is terrible, but fleeing the scene is far worse. Unfortunately, hit-and-runs are a common occurrence, as evidenced by the hit-and-run accident that occurred on I-81 north of Martinsburg, West Virginia (WV).

An SUV was hit in the rear by a tractor-trailer and the collision caused the SUV to hit a guardrail and flip over, according to the Herald-Mail.com. Did the tractor-trailer driver stop and help the victims inside the SUV? No.

The tractor-trailer fled the scene and the woman, along with her husband and young daughter were left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, the make, model, registration and company of the tractor-trailer have yet to be determined.

The woman, who hails from Hagerstown, Maryland (MD), was seriously injured in the accident and she was listed in critical condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia (VA).

Hopefully the tractor-trailer driver will be discovered and apprehended. This was a terrible accident made only worse by the truck driver’s complete indifference to the welfare of the victims involved in the wreck.

About the Editors: The Virginia (VA) trucking accident attorneys at Shapiro, Cooper, 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, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, 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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