Virginia Trucking Accident Attorney Blog » death

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

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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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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Proposed Ban on Cell Phone Use in Truck Drivers Could Mean Fewer Distractions

rshapiro — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:34:41 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Truck Accident Injury Attorney in Virginia

The National Transportation Safety Board has proposed a ban on cell phone use by commercial truck drivers and bus drivers. Many commercial drivers believe the proposed ban goes too far, and should be limited to hand-held phones. To read more, click over to “Ban on Cell Phones Could Make Truck Driving Safer.”

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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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.

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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Roadside Tractor-Trailer, Bus Safety Inspections Save Lives

jcooper — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:29:38 +0000

By John Cooper, Truck and Bus Accident Injury Attorney

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

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Condition of Highway Cable Barriers a Concern in North Carolina

rappleton — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:57:53 +0000

By Jim Lewis, Carolina Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

My colleague Randy Appleton has posted a new blog on our Carolina injuries website about concerns over the state of cable barriers that are intended to prevent head-on collisions on North Carolina’s highways. A recent investigation found miles of North Carolina’s cable barriers are damaged and loose.

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70-Year-Old Woman Killed in NC Trucking Accident

rshapiro — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:46:10 +0000

By Rick Shapiro, Carolina Truck Accident Injury Attorney

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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Reducing Truckers’ Drive Time, Shift Hours Can Protect Them and Others

jcooper — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:44:51 +0000

By John Cooper, VA Commercial Truck Crash Victim Attorney

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

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Thousands of GM Pickup Trucks Recalled

jcooper — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:17:14 +0000

By John Cooper, Virginia Beach Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

In a new post to our Virginia personal injury attorneys’ website, my colleague Kevin Duffan reports on a General Motors recall of more than 9,000 pickup trucks. The 2011 Chevrolet Colorado and GM Canyon trucks “may have been built with an automotive transmission clip that could slip and inaccurately show the position of the transmission gear,”a Reuters report in the Daily Press states. With the massive recalls at Toyota still fresh in our minds, faults that can lead to injury are of concern.

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