Jerome County, Idaho – An accident on Interstate 84, north of Kimberly, resulted in several individuals being transported to the hospital. The accident transpired at approximately 2:20 P.M. on Wednesday, near exit 182 on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 84.
The incident occurred when a Ford transit van, driven by a Georgia resident, was forced to slow down due to traffic conditions. A Kenworth semi-truck, laden with potatoes and operated by a 60-year-old man, collided with the rear of a BMW. The BMW, driven by a 74-year-old Burley resident, struck the Ford.
The force of the collision caused the Kenworth semi-truck to roll over, spilling its cargo of potatoes onto the roadway and ultimately coming to rest on the south side of the interstate.
The driver of the Ford was airlifted to a nearby hospital for immediate medical attention, while the other involved parties were transported to local hospitals via ground ambulance.
The injured deserve compensation for the injuries suffered in the crash
Rear-end collisions are a common occurrence. In 2019, they accounted for 32 percent of all vehicle accidents and were the cause of 31 percent of injuries and 7 percent of deaths (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). These types of crashes often result from a distracted driver and one who has failed to maintain a safe distance. These negligent actions can cause injuries or death. Drivers who break these safety road rules should be held accountable.
There are still unknown details on what exactly caused the commercial truck driver to run into the back of slowing traffic. However, from our experience, distraction, fatigue, and impairment are the primary culprits of clear rear-end collisions.
Any action taken by a trucker that reduces reaction time is unacceptable. Commercial 18-wheelers are huge, weighing over 80,000 pounds fully loaded. Stopping a vehicle of this size takes considerable time. In fact, it takes six seconds for a truck traveling 65 mph to come to a complete stop, or roughly the length of one and a half football fields. This is 40% greater than the time it takes to stop a standard passenger vehicle.
This, coupled with the heightened risk of serious injury and death in truck accidents, is why the federal government mandates commercial operators to additional licensing requirements and why truckers must follow rules specific to commercial operations. When a driver fails to follow these rules and causes injury, the driver must be held accountable.
Moreover, the trucking company employing a driver cannot escape liability if it fails to take reasonable steps to hire, train, and supervise a commercial operator traveling on our roadways for its own profit. Trucking companies cannot cut costs by hiring poor drivers and then shift the blame entirely onto the driver when an inevitable crash occurs.
Motorists injured in accidents such as this one need trained lawyers to inspect and investigate the crash and the parties involved to ensure all wrongdoing is identified and the injured receive fair compensation.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, with extensive experience in complex auto/tire defect and commercial vehicle cases.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
