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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Friday morning while driving to work, you probably think about the upcoming weekend. Some people are thinking about the activities they are planning with their kids. Others think about a Friday night dinner date with friends.
 

Now imagine how different your Friday morning would be if a distracted or careless driver blew through a red light and hit you. All your weekend plans, maybe even life-long plans, gone in a blink of an eye.

It was a frightening and fatal Friday morning for a driver in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). One person died when a tractor-trailer collided with a mini-van at Northampton Boulevard and Burton Station Road, police said.

 
The tractor-trailer, was headed south on Northampton at about 1 a.m. when the driver ran a red light, striking the minivan. The driver of the mini-van died at the scene of the crash.  Police charged the tractor-trailer’s driver with disregarding a red light.

My sincere condolences go out to the family of the victim.  I hope that the family  finds a way to recover and move on. 

 Trucks are significantly heavier than cars. 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.

Why did the truck run the red light? Was he distracted, tired, on the cell phone?  We still don’t have the full details of what happened since the investigation remains active. But our trucking attorneys have experience with truck accidents just like this and we serve not only the Virginia Beach area, but the entire states of Virginia and North Carolina.

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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An emergency response turned deadly for two members of the Rocky Mount, Virginia (VA), Fire Department on Monday, July 26, when, according to witnesses, their fire truck flipped and landed on a Ford Mustang after being clipped from behind by an SUV and striking a curb. The Ford Escape sports utility vehicle appears to have entered an intersection through which the fire truck was passing before the truck had cleared the area. No charges were filed in the immediate aftermath of the accident.

Only the firefighters lost their lives, but the SUV driver suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment.

The fire truck was loaded with at least 1,000 gallons of water, and that may have contributed to the roll over. Regardless, with all reports indicating that the fire truck had its siren and lights on while proceeding down Route 40, about 20 miles south of Roanoke, the other drivers on the road had to yield to the firefighters.

Firefighters — and police, EMTs and other emergency responders — put their lives on the line every day at accident scenes, fires and disaster sites. They accept that risk on our behalf. Arriving where their services are most needed should be the least of their worries. Unfortunately, as the tragedy in Rocky Mount shows, fire trucks, police cruisers and ambulances face the same hazards as all other cars and trucks. Sometimes those hazards are unsafe road conditions; other times, those hazards are other drivers.

My thoughts go out to the Rocky Mount firefighters, their families and their friends. I hope that all drivers who see the news of this tragedy take it as a lesson to share the road safely with emergency vehicles.

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 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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Our firm takes initial steps to help build your case, whether the claim stems from a car/truck wreck, railroad accident, or medical malpractice wrongful death. Learn what these steps are by reading this article:

Building Your Case: How Experienced Injury Lawyers Investigate Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death Accident Claims

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A truck driver of a semi trailer tractor is a trained professional who has spent a good deal of money and time going through training and testing so that they can obtain their commercial driver’s license (CDL). The requirements are quite rigorous as compared to earning a typical driver’s license. However, consideration has to be given when comparing the size of tractor trailers and how much harder they are to handle and control once something goes wrong while on the highway. This is exactly why you should take great care and precaution when you find yourself driving next to one of these big rigs while in your car and be prepared for any potential problem.

Few people know that you can greatly reduce your percentages of being involved in another fatal 18 wheeler crash by becoming just a little more aware of a big rig’s dynamics and having a healthy understanding of a tractor trailer’s limitations on what exactly could go wrong. Trustworthiness aside, there is no amount of expert truck training or for that matter, right of way law, that will prevent tractor trailer equipment failure. The only laws an equipment failure wreck might follow are the laws of physics.

Brakes, tires, axles and even the truck trailer hitch are just a few parts that can fail on a tractor trailer that would result in a serious, if not fatal accident if you happen to be driving beside the truck at the moment of equipment failure. The sad fact of the matter is that not all trucking companies stay compliant with strict laws requiring that their semi tractor trailers undergo routine inspections that are suppose to ensure a truck’s parts and equipment are in excellent working order.

Consideration needs to be taken with a tractor trailer’s tendency to jack-knife, which is when the big rig folds up as the trailer tries to pass the cab.  A jackknife can be caused by sudden braking, slippery roads, a sudden impact to the truck, or malfunctioning brakes. If it is the brakes that have malfunctioned, then it’s usually a result of the front brakes locking up as the rear ones are failing that typically cause the cab to stop while the trailer stays in motion.

Lastly, another common problem to be cautious of while passing a tractor trailer is making sure you stay out of its blind spot.  If you have ever followed too closely to the back end of an 18 wheeler, then you probably have seen the warning indicating that “if you can’t see my mirrors then I can’t see you.”  If you find you are in this space behind a truck slow down or pass as quickly as you can in a safe manner.  Although you might even see the mirrors do not count on the truck driver seeing you behind him as he could be distracted or you could be going in and out of his blind spot, so to be safe, just stay clear of the truck’s blind spot.

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 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 and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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By Rick Shapiro

Alger H. Fleming, 66 of Amherst County died after being hit by a tractor trailer along Va. Hwy 56 in Nelson County, Va. Fleming was driving east on Va. 56 at around 4:35 a.m. when he came up on a large tree that had fallen across the road near the Tye River Bridge. Unable to stop Fleming’s Ford Ranger pickup crashed into the tree.

At that point in time Fleming put his hazard lights on and got out of the pickup truck to survey the damage when an eastbound tractor-trailer suddenly came up from behind on the highway. According Virginia State Police PR Manager, Corinne Geller, the tractor-trailer driver swerved into the westbound lane avoiding Fleming’s truck, but then the big rig struck and killed Fleming in the process, Fleming died at the tractor trailer crash scene.

When driving at night your mind can play tricks on you and things can appear very different than they would during the day.  According to the AAA Center of Excellence, more than half of all fatal crashes occur at night. In order to reduce your risk on the night time road, make sure that you are alert and always be prepared to make a  sudden stop when the unpredictable occurs.

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 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 and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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An Albemarle County jury awarded a bereaved family $5.25 million for the loss of their precious 16 year old daughter who had been killed last year when a tractor trailer ran a red light and slamming into the car she was driving. The jury’s verdict was decided with only 3 hours of deliberation following a 2 day trial in the county’s civil circuit court.

In their decision, the jury found that the Don B. Swisher Trucking Corporation in conjunction with the McCann Delivery Service along with the trucker, Kenneth Barbour, were all negligent when the semi tractor trailer ran the red light and took away the young girl’s life that fateful day of May 9^th, 2008. The video below serve as an example of the devastation a truck can have when it slams into much lighter passenger vehicles:

Tractor-Trailer Truck Collision

The truck driver is currently serving an active 2 year prison sentence from his involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving when he pleaded guilty in a criminal trial that was held earlier this year in Albemarle County. The girl’s parents filed a $15 million civil lawsuit against all of the defendants in October 2008 accusing them of negligence and requested punitive damages.

Openly weeping, the victim’s father, mother and brother listened as Circuit Judge Cheryl Higgins read the verdict:  $5.25 million. The family’s attorney mentioned that the family felt vindicated with the judgment. Also, there were no further comments or speculation of seeking possible appeal from the trucking company’s attorney. We would like to congratulate the winning attorney, J Gregory Webb.

The intent of the lawsuit was to inflict as much financial pain as possible to the trucking company responsible for Barbour’s lack of training as a driver as to effectively prevent the company from  continuing their negligent operations or at least force them to change their safety training protocol, if they even had one.  The lawsuit accused Barbour of not slowing down when he approached the northbound lane of the intersection. The victim was making a left turn onto U.S. 29 southbound when the 1999 Chevy Cavalier was struck by the tractor-trailer. The complaint accused Barbour’s employers didn’t train him properly and did not supervise him adequately by allowing him to drive a rig with defective parts.

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 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 and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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The traffic on the northbound lanes of I-95 in Newington, VA was shut down last week when an accident involving a passenger vehicle and a tractor trailer caused the death of at least one person and injured two others.  Officials have stated that a Hyundai and a tractor trailer were involved in a deadly crash on a stretch of I-95 near route 7100. Due to the fact that the semi tractor trailer was so much heavier, the lighter Hyundai didn’t have a chance as it slid underneath the massive big rig.

The man driving the Hyundai died instantly from massive trauma at the crash scene from the forceful impact with the massive 18 wheeler. It appears that the driver and passenger in the cab of the tractor trailer were dismissed from the hospital with only minor injuries. Authorities did not release any information as to the exact cause or nature of the fatal crash. Traffic on northbound I-95 was reopened about 3 hours after the wreck at 5:40 a.m.

According to data released by The United States Department of Transportation, the roads of the United States witness over 500,000 accidents each year. Unfortunately, a high number of these types of accidents end in fatalities. This is primarily due to the size of these vehicles that travel between states carrying cargo that can put these trucks at more than 80,000 pounds each. As you can imagine, 9 times out of ten the occupants in a passenger vehicle do not fare very well when they have a run in with a monstrous big rig. In many cases the passengers in the smaller vehicle, such as a car in this most recent accident on I-95, receives the most serious if not fatal injuries.

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 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 and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton

It what can only be described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time, tragically a passenger riding along in a Fed Ex truck was killed last week when the vehicle overturned on Fentress Airfield Road. Virginia Beach Police have identified the victim of this accident  as Andrew Copeland, 38, or Virginia Beach.

The fatal Fed Ex truck crash occurred around  4:25p.m. close to the intersection with Long Ridge Road,  according to Gus Mojica, the Police Dept spokesperson.

The driver of the Fed Ex truck was going south and had veered slightly to the right as the oncoming traffic was approaching, said Mojica. The Fed Ex truck ran off the shoulder and as the driver attempted to pull back onto the road the entire truck rolled over instead. The driver was taken to a hospital for treatment and his name has not been released.

Deeply saddened friends and family of Copeland never expected that his life would be cut short so suddenly and severely. This incident shows just how deadly a trucking rollover accident can be and should wave a caution flag for all to think twice prior to riding in the cab of any  commercial truck such as the one involved with this Fed Ex  accident. It makes you wonder if safety is their number one issue or if it is just convenient to put in their mission statement? It seems that speed and corporate profits might fit into the puzzle as well, maybe too much?

Given the large size and weight of heavy trucks, especially commercial trucks such as tractor-trailer vehicles, a serious safety threat can be posed to the vehicle’s occupants in the event of a rollover collision. It has been clearly demonstrated that a large number of incapacitating and fatal injuries have occurred when the occupants were contained in the cab during rollover accidents. In many cases when a rollover occurs in a heavy truck and the occupants were not ejected, injuries sustained were either incapacitating or fatal.

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 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 and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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The big rig crashed around 11:30 a.m. that morning and an entire section of I-85 was closed for several hours while first responders and firefighters cleaned up what was left of the car. Eyewitnesses on the scene reported that the car caught fire on impact. Authorities said that the person in the car that was struck by the semi truck was killed instantly. Officials had not revealed the identity or gender of the victim.

Did you know that every 16 minutes, a person is killed or sustains injuries in accidents involving 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers or semi-trucks? In fact, just in the year 2001 alone, some 429,000 large trucks were involved in traffic crashes (both fatal and minor) in the United States. Of those truck wrecks:

• 4,793 were involved in fatal crashes
• 5,082 people died
• 131,000 were injured

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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