An emergency response turned deadly for two members of the Rocky Mount, Virginia (VA), Fire Department on Monday, July 26, when, according to witnesses, their fire truck flipped and landed on a Ford Mustang after being clipped from behind by an SUV and striking a curb. The Ford Escape sports utility vehicle appears to have entered an intersection through which the fire truck was passing before the truck had cleared the area. No charges were filed in the immediate aftermath of the accident.

Only the firefighters lost their lives, but the SUV driver suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment.

The fire truck was loaded with at least 1,000 gallons of water, and that may have contributed to the roll over. Regardless, with all reports indicating that the fire truck had its siren and lights on while proceeding down Route 40, about 20 miles south of Roanoke, the other drivers on the road had to yield to the firefighters.

Firefighters — and police, EMTs and other emergency responders — put their lives on the line every day at accident scenes, fires and disaster sites. They accept that risk on our behalf. Arriving where their services are most needed should be the least of their worries. Unfortunately, as the tragedy in Rocky Mount shows, fire trucks, police cruisers and ambulances face the same hazards as all other cars and trucks. Sometimes those hazards are unsafe road conditions; other times, those hazards are other drivers.

My thoughts go out to the Rocky Mount firefighters, their families and their friends. I hope that all drivers who see the news of this tragedy take it as a lesson to share the road safely with emergency vehicles.

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, Norfolk Injuryboard Eastern Shore Virginia Injury Attorneys Blog and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.

EJL

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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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Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, & Appleton

Truck accidents are terrible, but tanker truck accidents can be even worse. The size and velocity these massive vehicles possess can inflict incredible damage when involved in a trucking accident. This is especially true in rollover accidents.

This scenario unfortunately came to fruition when a tanker truck rolled over on U.S. Highway 40 in Colorado and spilled over 6,000 gallons of fuel on the road. Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved in the incident and the driver of the tanker truck survived.

Truck accidents are not relegated to the Colorado area. There have been numerous truck accidents in the western portions of Virginia (VA) including I-81 (Virginia’s most dangerous road) and U.S. Highway 11. There have also been accidents on I-64 around Cabell County in West Virginia. One of these accidents involved a tractor trailer containing fuel. Sadly, this accident had a tragic ending. The fuel tank ruptured and caused a fire leading to the death of a driver in a vehicle involved in the accident.

In the Colorado accident, the driver, named Robert Windecker, is facing a careless driving charge. Why?Because Robert was driving too fast. This is completely unacceptable behavior, especially for a trained driver handling a tanker truck. Robert failed to responsibly drive this vehicle and the devastation he could have inflicted would have been enormous considering the amount of fuel that spilled out   from the tanker.

As an injury lawyer who works for a firm that’s represented people in trucking accidents, I understand the damage they can inflict on people when involved in an accident.

Hopefully, tanker truck drivers can learn from Robert’s mistake and exercise responsibility when driving such hazardous vehicles on major roadways.

About the Editors: The trucking injury attorneys with Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm are 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 Virginia injury law website is www.HSInjurylaw.com and 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 with over 50 videos covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

PA

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Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, & Appleton

Gustavo Gracia was driving down Interstate 5 in San Diego going about his business, when suddenly, a truck rolled over smashing Gustavo’s Lexas Sedan killing him. He was just 33 years old.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Gustavo’s friends and family.

The truck was a 1996 Freightliner pulling a 32-foot cargo container behind it. The power and weight of the truck were a deadly combination in this type of rollover accident.

Rollover car and truck accidents account for only 3 percent of all car accidents, but they account for 33 percent of accident fatalities, according to safecar.gov. In 2002, over 10,000 people were killed in rollover crashes.

Rollovers are complex crash and violent in nature. All types of vehicles can rollover, though SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans have higher centers of gravity, and thus are more susceptible to rollover if involved in a single-vehicle crash.

As an injury lawyer who works for a firm that’s represented people seriously hurt in these types of accidents, I understand the terrible outcomes which occur when a car and truck are involved in a rollover accident.

If you’re driving in a truck or SUV, here are some general safety tips from ehow.com…

· Beware of the center of gravity

· Respect the weight of the vehicle

· Be especially cognizant of the weather

About the Editors: The trucking injury attorneys with Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm are 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 Virginia injury law website is www.HSInjurylaw.com and 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 with over 50 videos covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

PA

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