OZAUKEE COUNTY, Wisconsin – A 34-year-old man from Grafton, Wisconsin was killed just before 2:00 a.m. on August 17, 2022, after his car struck the back of a semi-truck on I-43 near Lakefield Road.
According to initial reports, the driver of a small passenger car was speeding in the moments before rear-ended a semi-truck headed southbound on I-43. The driver of the car died because of the impact. The semi-truck driver was unharmed.
No further information about the crash was immediately available.
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One might quickly assume that, since the driver of the passenger car was speeding at the time of the accident, a fatality in this crash was nearly unavoidable. Indeed, speed is a factor often associated with death in car wrecks. However, not all accidents with semi-trucks result in fatalities; regular maintenance of systems within semi-trucks and their trailers is critical in preventing deaths from collisions with semi-trucks and, more importantly, in preventing collisions before they occur. Therefore, the fatality in this instance may have been avoided. Further investigation is required to determine whether the semi-truck was maintained in a safe way.
All commercial trucking companies are required to maintain their fleet of trucks in a safe, legal manner. Regular inspection of all systems, including electrical systems on semi-trucks, is vital to ensuring the safety of both semi-truck drivers and others who share the roadway with big rigs. In many cases, electrical wires between semi-trucks and their trailers get worn from constant travel through harsh elements. Often, only a simple fix is required to make sure all marker lights on a semi’s trailer are illuminated before traveling at night. If the semi-truck’s trailer lights were not properly illuminating as the truck was traveling down I-43 at 2:00 a.m., it would have been nearly impossible for any car to see the semi’s trailer before it was too late.
Perhaps the driver of the passenger had no way of knowing the semi-truck was there in the early morning hours of August 17th. The grieving family of the decedent could greatly benefit from an investigation into the possibility of their loved one having not seen the semi-truck before the crash.
Although it is impossible, at this time, to determine the cause of the tragic accident, skilled attorneys experienced in accidents involving semi-trucks may be able to develop a legal strategy to analyze all possible avenues of recovery for the victim’s family. Our firm sends our condolences to the family and friends of the 34-year-old killed in this tragic accident. Should any wrongdoing be revealed here, our firm offers comprehensive legal strategies to explore all possible avenues of remedy for those involved in accidents with semi-trucks.
