Truck Tire Smashes into Minivan Killing Driver in Henrico County
By Rick Shapiro, Virginia Truck Wreck Lawyer
If there was any doubt about the level of risk we all face while sharing the highway with big rigs and other large commercial trucks, the recent accident in Henrico County, Virginia (VA) illustrates what can happen when something goes wrong with a large commercial truck.
A big rig traveling down Interstate 64 (I-64) suddenly had a wheel base break off causing the massive truck tire to bounce across the highway eventually slamming into a minivan driven by Stephanie Bender, a resident of Colonial Heights, VA. She died at the scene on May 14, 2010 as a result, according to wtkr.com. The truck was owned by J.E. Liesfeld Contractor Inc. of Rockville, MD, State Police spokesman Sgt. Thomas J. Molnar said. A company spokesman said that the wreck “very tragic” and said the cause appeared to be equipment failure — a tire seal ruptured, and friction caused the 200-pound tire set to come off the axle. Under Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations governing commercial trucks, there are inspections required of such vehicles. It is unclear at this time whether any failure of maintenance or inspection duties apply here.
Here is a news report about this fatal truck accident:
“The company is very upset this happened, it’s a tragic accident, and the company will do everything it can to assist the family in its time of need,” said Charles Ayers, corporate counsel to Liesfeld. As a trucking injury attorney often working against trucking company’s, it is unclear to me what the attorney’s comment means in the context of any civil injury lawsuit that may be brought by her family members.
Stephanie Bender was survived by her husband, Terry Lee Bender, Jr, two daughters, her parents, and many brothers and sisters. Her family has roots in the Macon/Dodge County, GA area. Many of her co-workers at Capitol One, where she had previously worked, were stunned, and talked about her beautiful smile and the pride she took in her daughters and her family.
The disparity in size and weight between a commercial truck and compact cars, SUVs, and minivans is so great that even when the slightest error or malfunction occurs with a big rig or 18-wheeler, the damage can be catastrophic, especially for the driver and/or passenger(s) in those compact vehicles.
The VA Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspection Team is investigating what caused the tire to break off from the big rig, according to wtvr.com. They will determine if traffic/criminal charges should be filed against the truck driver since there’s a chance the big rig may have had mechanical defects which were overlooked or neglected leading to a death. This is completely separate from any “wrongful death” civil lawsuit that may be available to the surviving family members.
It was reported that over 200,000 trucks violate federal safety regulations, but are still operating on roads and highways all across the country. We’ll have to wait and see what the Inspection Team reports.
Regardless of the cause, I want to send my deepest sympathies to the Bender family. The pain of losing someone you love is always gut-wrenching, but it has to be even worse when the loss is so sudden. Mrs. Bender was only 36 years old.
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, FL 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.
PA
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May 24, 2010
Tags: 18 wheeler, accident, attorney, big rig, Henrico County, I-64, Shapiro, tire, truck, trucks, VA, wheel base, wreck, wrongful death Posted in: Virginia (VA) Trucking Injury/Accidents Topics
One Response
wow, so sad, my stomach just wrenches everytime i have to hit 95 to be someplace, i know that each second could be my last, big rigs need a road of their own. My heart goes out to her family, they have a long long road ahead without her…how painful
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