Virginia Trucking Accident Attorney Blog » lawyer

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

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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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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Truck Driver Injured After Being Trapped Under Concrete Slab

jcooper — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:12:51 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

My colleague John Cooper has written a new blog post or our firm’s Carolina persoal injury lawyers’ website about a truck driver who somehow escaped with just a broken leg after being trapped under an 80,000 pound concrete slab following a chain-reaction truck accident on I-85 in North Carolina (NC).

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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WV Coal Truck Driver Admits Using Drugs Before Causing Crash That Injured Other Trucker

jcooper — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:16:55 +0000

By John Cooper, Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

A West Virginia (WV) coal truck driver who drove his vehicle into another truck on Cabin Creek Road near Wealthy Acres in Kanawah County on October 20 has admitted to police he was taking the narcotic painkillers Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone from Reckitt Benckiser) and Oxycotin (oxcodone from Perdue Pharma) before starting his shift. WSAZ NewsChannel 3 reported that the driver who caused the head-on collision has been charged with DUI causing injury, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, driving left of center and reckless driving.

As experienced West Virginia trucking accident attorneys, my colleagues and I see a number of trucking accidents caused by alcohol or drug abuse. Impaired driving is the fourth most common cause of wrecks caused by truckers. Also, a study conducted by a Maryland trauma center revealed that approximately 34 percent of drivers involved in crashes admitted tested positive for only drugs, while just 16 percent tested positive for only alcohol.

This accident in West Virginia illustrates the large number of injuries and deaths caused by coal trucks. In December 2010, for instance, we reported that a coal truck driven in a reckless manner claimed the life of a 19-year-old in West Virginia.

If a truck driver who has taken drugs causes an injury, the trucker’s employer may be liable in a personal injury lawsuit. If you’ve have been injured due to a truck driver’s negligence, there are a number of important steps that need to be taken. We recommend downloading our guide to truck accidents.

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Pickup Driver Killed When Hit by Asphalt Truck in West Virginia (WV)

jcooper — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:31:15 +0000

By John Cooper, West Virginia Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

The 65-year-old driver of a pickup has been killed after his vehicle was hit by a heavy truck in West Virginia. The victim, Garry Smith, from Prichard, WV, was killed on Tolsia Highway/US 52 in Wayne County on the morning of October 6, 2011, WSAZ.com reported.

Investigators said the pickup driver was pulling onto the highway from Centerville Road when the fatal crash occurred. The asphalt truck’s driver had to be cut from the cab by firefighters and was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

As experienced Virginia (VA) trucking injury attorneys, my colleagues and I see far too many fatal and other serious accidents caused by big rigs and tractor-trailers. Often, the truck drivers are to blame.

Fr instance, in July, 2011 we reported on a case in which a tractor-trailer operator caused an accident on I-95 in Woodbridge, VA, in which he hit another big rig and a box truck. The crash was caused when the tractor-trailer driver failed to slow down when coming up to the scene of an earlier accident near the interchange with US Route 1.

Increasing number of Virginians are dying in accidents caused by distracted driving, according to a new study. And when you become distracted driving several tons of potentially dangerous metal, in the case of a truck, the consequences can be deadly.

It’s not unknown for truck drivers to be drunk at the wheel. Recently we reported on a case in Virginia in which three children on a church bus were injured by an intoxicated driver behind the wheel of a 10-ton truck.

We have handled a number of cases involving truck drivers, including a $3.5 million settlement we secured in 2010 for the family of our client who was killed when a driver in a flatbed truck rear-ended a passenger vehicle on I-64 in Norfolk, VA .

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Pickup Truck Driver Faces Road Rage Investigation After Crash in Richmond, VA

rshapiro — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:21:22 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Virginia Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

Road rage is a serious problem on the highways of Virginia (VA). If you deliberately cause an accident you will face the full force of the criminal law and could face a lawsuit. In a blog post to our firm’s Virginia personal injury attorneys’ website, my colleague Emily Mapp Brannon writes about how a pickup truck driver caused an accident in Richmond that left another driver with serious injuries.

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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.

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Truckers Issue Safety Tips for Labor Day Weekend

jcooper — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:48:34 +0000

By Randy Appleton, Trucking Accident Injury Attorney

My colleague John Cooper has written a new blog on our firm’s Virginia (VA) personal injury lawyers’ website about how the American Trucking Associations has issued a number of travel tips for Labor Day. The truckers’ advice comes against a backdrop of an increase in road deaths on the Labor Day weekend in Virginia.

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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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