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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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Although the roads and highways along Virginia’s I-81, I-64 or I-66 have not reported any recent bad tractor trailer accidents, there was one in Springfield, Ohio today. A tractor-trailer jackknifed on icy road conditions and slammed into a van filled with disabled passengers that were being transported. The big rig swerved into oncoming traffic colliding with the van killing four of its occupants and injuring 7 others that were inside as well.

A new device called the “Atlas AJSS” has recently been invented that automatically engages at a speed of 45miles per hour (72km/h) and stays engaged unless manually released. It is actuated electronically and operated pneumatically from the truck’s accumulator air supply. The device prevents the trailer and the truck from becoming over 15 out of alignment with each other. Under normal operating (highway) speeds, this 15 swing does not interfere with driving even on the most winding roads; of course, the system disengages under 45mph to allow for the hair-pin curves of winding mountain roads which are traversed at speeds under 45mph.

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A tractor trailer crash on I-95 just outside of Dunn, North Carolina (N.C.) has tragically left a 6 year old child dead. In a sad chain of events an SUV in which the child was riding collided with an 18 wheeler on a stretch of Interstate 95 in Harnett County, North Carolina (N.C.).

In describing the accident scene, a NC State Highway Patrol spokesperson reported that the big rig was traveling northbound on Interstate 95, near the Pope Road overpass, when the SUV attempted to pass it in the left hand lane. The SUV ended up hitting the guard rail and landed upside down

The child was the sole fatality in the Johnston County I-95 tractor trailer wreck along this particularly deadly stretch of highway. The remaining occupants of the SUV included: the driver, age 34, and three other adults along with two other children. The travelers from Pennsylvania were transported by ambulance to the Betsy Johnson Hospital in Dunn, North Carolina (N.C.) for injuries. The Johnston County tractor trailer crash on I-95 is still under further investigation. The driver of the big rig was reported to have suffered no injuries.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, twelve percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States involve truck accidents. Tractor trailer truck accidents are especially dangerous. In such truck accidents, an alarming 98% of the time, the passengers or driver in the other vehicle is killed as opposed to people in the truck.

Although tractor trailers are an important part of distribution of goods, they are involved either directly or indirectly almost every day on our highways. The untimely death of such a young child is terribly tragic. Our prayers and heartfelt sympathies go out to the family in their time of grief. It is hard to imagine the scare and shock of the occupants of this passenger vehicle surviving this tragedy.

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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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 victim, Bates, crashed his tractor-trailer into the back of another tractor-trailer causing a rear-end collision at mile marker 141 on Interstate 81 South at approximately 10 a.m. Virginia police reported that the first truck had stopped for an earlier crash.

During the maelstrom both directions of I-81 were closed for almost an hour and Virginia’s Department of Transportation closed the Virginia 419 bridge over I-81 until a VDOT inspector was able to declare it safe.

At one point a traffic backup of nine miles long was reported in the southbound lane as mentioned by VDOT. The bulk of the traffic was detoured off the interstate, diverting a heavy flow of vehicles onto Interstate 581, Peters Creek Road, and West Main Street in Salem.

Danger and trouble rides beside you each day as you share the road with these 18 wheelers. I understand that truckers need to make a living, but it is usually the big companies they work for to blame. A recent official report gathered by just one state’s DOT (Michigan) showed only 2 percent of trucking companies are being inspected routinely. The question you need to ask yourself is: How many more rogue companies and unqualified drivers are there?  Have you stopped to consider that as the economy continues to struggle, the easiest decision for financially strapped trucking operations is to cut costs in safety and maintenance? What will the already overstretched federal and state investigators do to contend with the ever expanding unscrupulous trucking companies trying to get away with these unsafe practices?

Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is 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 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 covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

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