Twiggs County, Georgia – – An accident unfolded on Interstate 16, resulting in a fatal collision between a U-Haul and a tractor-trailer. The incident occurred between Bullard Road and Sgoda Road in Twiggs County, Georgia.
According to reports from the Georgia State Patrol, the tractor-trailer had experienced a blown tire, prompting its driver to pull over and await assistance.
While resting inside the vehicle, a westbound U-Haul collided with the left rear of the stationary tractor-trailer. The impact of the collision caused the U-Haul to overturn and catch fire, leading to the death of the U-Haul driver.
No further information was immediately available.
Truckers Cannot Park on the Side of The Road and Escape Liability If Such Parking Was Preventable
Each year, large trucks kill thousands of people. In 2021, large truck accidents claimed the lives of 4,714 people (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Alarmingly, approximately 10% of these deaths result from motorists rear-ending semi-trucks. Sadly, many of these accidents could be avoided. One way to prevent such accidents is to avoid parking a full semi-truck on the side of a road next to a moving lane of traffic.
A stopped truck on the roadway is hazardous. We understand there will be times when trucks must pull over onto the side of the road; however, drivers should only pull over when necessary because it is known that parking a truck next to a moving lane of traffic is dangerous. Trucking companies have a responsibility to maintain and repair their trucks to prevent trucks from breaking down on a public roadway.
When a trucking company neglects its duty to properly maintain its truck, and as a result, the truck breaks down and is parked on the side of the road, the trucking company cannot escape liability by pointing to the breakdown as an inevitable event.
We recently resolved a case like this for a young wife whose husband ran into the back of a parked truck due to a flat tire. The trucking company tried to point to the breakdown as a reason to avoid liability. However, during our investigation, it was discovered that the trucking company continually ran the tire underinflated. Running a tire underinflated leads to preventable breakdowns.
Trucking companies cannot disregard basic maintenance and repair to save money and then blame others when an inevitable accident occurs.
A detailed investigation will need to be conducted to determine exactly what went wrong here. A motorist lost their life. If wrongdoing contributed to this fatal outcome, the party responsible must be held accountable to the family for the suffering they must endure.
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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.
