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 North Carolina firefighter responding to an emergency call on Jan. 25, 2010, became an accident victim himself when the water tanker in which he was riding rolled over outside of the town of Maxton. According to the Laurinburg Exchange, 18-year-old Quintin Thompson became paralyzed from the waist down.

The accident appears to have occurred when the 19-year-old tanker truck driver overcorrected after the right front tire of the vehicle ran off the side of the road. The truck was reportedly traveling at 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Speeding and oversteering are among the leading causes of truck rollover accidents, according to an analysis published in the October 2009 issue of the journal Traffic Injury Prevention. That analysis also cites “failure to adjust speed to … loads [and] road surface” as leading factors in truck rollovers.

Tanker trucks are particularly difficult to control because their loads shift with each change in speed and direction. Liquid loads can easily tip or flip a truck when drivers do not exercise the utmost care and caution. And the results can be deadly.

Here is what researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health determined about fire tanker truck rollover risks and outcomes:

Incidents involving motor vehicles account for approximately 20% of U.S. fire fighter deaths each year; cases involving tankers are the most prevalent of these motor vehicle incidents. During 1977–1999, 73 deaths occurred in 63 crashes involving tankers. Of those deaths, 54 occurred in 49 crashes in which tankers rolled over (no collision), and 8 occurred in 6 crashes in which the tankers left the road (no collision).

The NIOSH report includes several recommendations for preventing tanker rollovers, but the one the agency repeats several times in different ways is that truck drivers who transport liquids need extensive initial training and frequent refresher training in how to handle tankers safely.

The National Fire Protection Association regularly updates a standard for the training of all fire vehicle drivers. Also, the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration enforces national laws that require extensive training and scheduled recertification of tanker truck drivers. Fire departments could protect their crew members and ensure their ability to respond quickly and adequately to emergencies by following these recommendations and rules regarding driver training.

EJL

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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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