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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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With the recent onslaught of snow and ice that has falling in our area it is sure to increase the likelihood of crashes and injuries out on our highways and roads.  In fact, just such an event occurred near Charlotte, North Carolina involving two tractor trailers. Although no one appears to be hurt the accident could have been much worse. Driving a tractor trailer requires extra training and demands a skillful touch especially when it comes to inclement weather.  Very simply, truckers must exercise the utmost care in icy or snowy weather-and must pull over rather than drive in known dangerous weather.

I-77 near Charlotte, North Carolina (N.C.) was closed to clear the trucks but then re-opened in both directions on the Iredell-Mecklenburg county line after an immense wreck left one tractor trailer hanging off a bridge within feet of going into Lake Norman. The incident happened in very icy lanes of I-77 Southbound when a U.S. Mail truck skidded and apparently lost control.

Witnesses say the tractor trailer driver came close to plunging straight into Lake Norman, but was able to make it out from the cab soon after the accident.  We’re told his injuries weren’t life threatening. The tractor trailer wreck happened at Mile Marker 30 along I-77.

While the wreckage was in place, an additional mail truck – another tractor trailer – was involved in a wreck behind the initial one. News channel WBTV stated that it had to swerve in order to avoid the 1st tractor trailer and wound up in the ditch.  The truck driver told the news station that if he hadn’t swerved, he would have knocked the first truck into Lake Norman. It appeared that both trucks were leaking fuel into Lake Norman according to the report by WBTV.

Eyewitnesses at the crash site could see gas spilling into Lake Norman as well as smell it on the accident. Despite the fact that much of I-77 moved well by later that afternoon, the southbound lanes around the bridge along at the county line had frozen over.  When the accident happened, employees working with the nearby North Harbor Club in Davidson, North Carolina rushed over in an attempt to assist the trucker. Fortunately the man was okay, additionally, the truck didn’t plunge into the lake.

Did you know that snow and ice can accumulate on the rooftop of tractor trailers and also can cause serious harm to you and damage to your car?  Each year, there are many incidents in which a driver suffers a serious personal injury or is involved in a car crash after losing control of the car when a sheet of solid ice smashes through the windshield after breaking lose from on top of the truck.

I am sure you are familiar with other incidents where small pebbles/stones or debris strikes your car from huge tractor trailer tires as they tend to be good at throwing up small rubble.  Also, dump trucks often that lose small bits of what they’re hauling as they strike bumps in the road. Usually this only leads to small scratches in passenger vehicles or cracked windshields. However, during wintertime the tops of tractor trailers can easily gather huge chunks of ice that can to break free at almost any time. The substantial flat surface of a trailer top draws plenty of snow and water that can easily shift as the truck moves. The Chicago Daily Herald has reported about several of these tractor trailer rooftop ice sheet accidents in which thousands of dollars in damage and a number of personal injuries occurred caused by falling sheets of ice. New York is looking at modifying its laws regarding cleaning ice from trucks after a woman there had been killed when a piece of ice smashed through a windshield after slipping off a tractor trailer.  So, yes, truckers should be familiar with this danger.  Sadly, there are no reliable statistics on the danger of ice chunks striking cars and causing accidents.   Bottom line: try to avoid hanging out in interstate lanes behind ice covered tractor trailers, and also stay a very safe distance away from tractor trailers that are operating in snowy or icy conditions as well.

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 truck accident case results, our free consumer guide on what to do in case you get into a wreck with a commercial truck, and take a moment to review our web site devoted exclusively to trucking issues. We serve all areas of North Carolina including the Outer Banks, Nags Head, and all counties. We provide FREE injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included among the “Best Lawyers in America” 2010 Edition and selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2009). In addition, our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

Our lawyers proudly edit the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard, as a public information service. We also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube.

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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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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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Four tractor trailers, six cars and one camper were involved in an accident last Wednesday on I-77 in Fancy Gap, Va. which closed traffic in both lanes for hours.  According to the police, a tractor-trailer travelling southbound slid down the highway, lost control and rolled-over spilling its load of ceramic tiles.  Two other vehicles had crashed into the semi-truck , which subsequently caused three other separate accidents.

The driver of the first tractor-trailer was immediately rushed to the Surry County hospital via ambulance; five others were reportedly inured and later hospitalized. By the time the police arrived at the truck accident scene, only two people had remained. After a thorough clean-up that took hours, I-77 was reopened just before 8 p.m. Although the big rig accident is still under investigation, police have speculated on a few reasons for the wreck with weather conditions as a possible factor.

According to kidshealth.org, the best strategy in driving in bad weather is to avoid it.  However, if it is really inevitable, there are some helpful tips to prevent accidents in a bad weather. Make sure your headlights are on.  Increase your following distance and maintain it.   Slow down. Braking takes longer on slippery roads, the slower you go, the easier it will be for you to stop.  Make sure your car is prepared for the conditions (check your battery, antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, windshield wipers, headlights, tires).

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

Ronald Cook of Bedford County, Virginia (VA) was enjoying a ride in his Chevy Avalanche when, suddenly, his truck flipped over on Virginia Route 24 and ended his life. Mr. Cook was not wearing his seatbelt, according to Newsadvance.com.

My condolences go out to Mr. Cook’s friends and family.

Hopefully, this tragic accident highlights the importance of wearing your seat belt at all times when you’re driving. There are some drivers, especially people who have big trucks and SUVs, who feel they’re safe due to the sheer size of the vehicle and neglect their seat belt. Clearly, this is wrong and probably contributes to the fact that 63 percent of people killed in automobile accidents are not wearing their seat belt, according to car-accidents.com.

This needs to change. As an injury lawyer who regularly represents people seriously hurt in car and truck accidents, I’ve seen the physical damage that can be done when an individual fails to wear their seat belt. Even if you avoid death, the chances of suffering a serious injury such as a broken neck or neck, loss of limbs, facial disfiguration, burns, etc. escalate precipitously.

Seat belts save, on average, over 9,500 lives each year. I cannot overemphasize the importance of a seat belt. It could mean the difference between life and death, regardless of the vehicle you drive.

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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