At The Ammons Law Firm, our team is currently investigating a growing trend of crashes on U.S. highways. These crashes involve tractor-trailers illegally parked on the side of freeways and highways.
The highway shoulder is not designed for parking. Rather, the emergency shoulder is part of the “clear zone” that is intended to allow a driver to stop safely or regain control of a vehicle that has left the roadway.
Yet nearly every day now, we are learning about 18-wheelers parked in that “clear zone” or shoulder – including in a recent crash on I-35.
I-35 Crash Near Waco Takes Victim’s Life
According to reports, there was recently a crash involving yet another 18-wheeler parked on the shoulder of I-35, just south of Waco. The crash involved two 18 wheelers and a Chevrolet Tahoe. As a result of the impact, the vehicles erupted in flames. Jesus Salas of Grand Prairie lost his life in the crash.
In the past, The Ammons Law Firm has handled several cases for injured motorists and their families after an accident involving a parked 18-wheeler or large vehicle. Very often, the police report will fault the driver of the vehicle that hits the parked truck. However, our investigation has shown that the root cause of these crashes more often rests with the trucking company and the driver of the parked truck. After all, if you park a large truck on the shoulder and obstruct the clear zone of a highway for a long enough period of time – there will be a crash.
Poor vehicle maintenance, poor tire care and defective tires can all be the underlying reason why a truck has pulled over in the clear zone or emergency shoulder of the highway. Our firm’s research has also shown that bad trip planning combined with a shortage of rest areas and truck stop parking can be reasons why truck drivers park on the highway shoulder.
The law prohibits trucks from parking on the shoulder except when there is a true emergency. When an emergency stop is necessary, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires that commercial truck drivers place warning triangles in specific locations upstream from their parked rig. Unfortunately, these regulations are often not followed by irresponsible truck drivers. Recently, a trucking company was hit with a verdict of more than $11,000,000.00 in a case involving the wrongful death of a motorist that was killed in a crash with an illegally parked big rig.
As truck accident lawyers, we will continue to monitor this dangerous trend on our highways and will continue to report on these crashes as we learn about them. In the meantime, we encourage anyone who has suffered injuries due to truck driver negligence to contact our team at The Ammons Law Firm for a free consultation and assistance.
Contact us at (281) 801-5617 today to discuss your claim with a compassionate and qualified lawyer.
Disclaimer: On our blog, we report on recent catastrophic accidents to begin important conversations about consumer safety. Our hearts go out to all the victims mentioned in this article, and we sincerely hope that future injuries and deaths can be prevented. If these resources are found to include any false or outdated information, we invite you to contact The Ammons Law Firm as soon as possible so we may update them. This content should not be construed as legal counsel or advice.
