Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer - Tractor-Trailer Accidents

Georgia Interstate closed because of Tractor Trailer Caught on Fire

Jessica Smagacz — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:23:19 GMT

A tractor trailer was heading from Roswell Road on to 285 East when it caught fire this past Saturday around 11:30 a.m. according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The fire forced firefighters to close a ramp on Interstate 285 in Sandy Springs. According to Georgia Department of Transportation, the ramp was closed and the right lane.

No details have been released about the cause of the fire in this tractor trailer.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jessica Smagacz

Hundreds of Bus Companies and Tractor-trailers Ordered to Shut Down

Jessica Smagacz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:20:48 GMT

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) completed a study on tractor-trailer and bus companies following federal safety regulations.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, there were hundreds of tractor-trailer and bus companies ordered to shut down because of federal safety violations. These violations ranged from suspended licenses to possible drug use. They have stayed on the road, avoiding the violations by using different names.

The report found that about 20 of the 220 commercial bus companies were fined and ordered out of service in 2007 and 2008 by federal regulators and “evaded compliance by setting up shop under a new name.”

Offenders were found in at least nine states including Georgia. The other states included Arizona, Arkansas, California, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, New York and Washington.

The violators in these states owed tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

Greg Kutz, GAO’s managing director for special investigations, said, “These companies pose a safety threat to the monitoring public. We believe that these carriers reincarnated into new companies to evade fines and avoid performing the necessary corrective actions.”

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jessica Smagacz

Georgia Tractor Trailer Struck Disabled Car & one Man Tragically Dead

Jessica Smagacz — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:11:22 GMT

Early Saturday, a tractor trailer was driving on I-285 in Georgia. The tractor trailer struck a disabled car, killing a Riverdale man, according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC).

The driver was Charles Edward Stephens Jr., 20 years old. Apparently, Stephens’ car broke down in the right eastbound lane at the DeKalb County line a little before 5 a.m.

Sandy Springs Police said that the tractor trailer rear-ended the car several minutes later.

There were several witnesses to this tragic car accident. They told the police that the car’s tail lights were not working when the car accident occurred.

As of now, no charges have been filed against the truck driver. AJC says that investigations are still continuing.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jessica Smagacz

Truck Flips on I-85 in Georgia

Jessica Smagacz — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:47:20 GMT

Gainesville Times reported that this past Thursday a tractor trailer carrying four vehicles flipped over in Georgia.

It occurred on Interstate 85 near Chateau Elan about 10:45 a.m. and blocked the southbound lanes of I-85 jus past exit 126 at Ga. 211 until about 1 p.m.

The tractor trailer was moved by police and emergency service units into the median so traffic could start moving. Police were still at the scene at 3 p.m. as they turned the vehicle upright for transport.

Choi Jae Yen from California was the driver of the tractor trailer and saw cars ahead of him slow down and attempted to slow down too. However, he overcorrected in the process according to Det. J.D. Gille of the Braselton Police Department.

“The driver suffered a broken collarbone and broken jaw. Units from the West Jackson Fire Department removed him from the truck. Barrow County emergency responders transported him to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment.”

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jessica Smagacz

Fiery Georgia Crash in Construction Zone

Jessica Smagacz — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:40:50 GMT

The Times-Herald reported that this past Tuesday, a crash occurred on Interstate 85 when a tractor-trailer’s wheels dropped off the side of the pavement in the right lane and the driver overcorrected. As result, the driver hit a tanker truck and caused it to smash into the concrete barrier wall along the inside lane.

After this smash into the concrete barrier, the impact ruptured the diesel fuel tanks and set them afire.

The driver of the 2007 MAC, Solomon Marvin of Riverdale, was charged with failure to maintain lane. He traveled about 250 feet on the shoulder before he brought the truck back into the lane. Aaron Barber Jr. of Port Allen, La. drove the tanker carrying plaster. “Barber suffered a few burns to his arms, and Solomon has a few scrapes and bruises. Both were treated and released.”

Sgt. Lance Green, commander of Georgia State Patrol Newnan Post 24 said, “There were chunks of concrete flying everywhere.”

“Overcorrecting is a very common cause of accidents.” However, this is easy to avoid. Green says, “When you come off the road, get off the brake, get off the gas, and just steer straight until you slow down enough to where you can come back on—under control.” Most people react with panic and yank it.

Greene says that “drivers should take extra care and obey the speed on the interstate.”

Do you know what do to if you are in a car accident? As our past post discussed, here is what you need to know if you are in a car accident:

Immediately call the police. When the police arrive, they know exactly what to do. The police will also create a police report after interviewing all witnesses and determining who is at fault.

Make sure everyone else is safe.

Gather information. You must get the other driver’s information such as the vehicle’s VIN number, insurance information, and license plate number.

Seek medical attention/help. Car accidents can cause serious injuries, even injuries that do not arise until much later after the car accident. It is important to see a doctor to evaluate your condition.

If you have a camera, take pictures of the cars involved in the accident.

Call/seek an attorney.

According to Ezine articles, there are several things you MUST not do after you are in a car accident:

Admit fault; leave the scene; wait for insurance companies to contact you or take too much time to call an attorney; sign anything without knowing what the papers say or means.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jessica Smagacz

Two Georgia Truck Wrecks in Same Spot in Same Week

Jessica Smagacz — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:24:45 GMT

The Times-Herald reported that a tractor-trailer rig crashed and burned on Interstate 85 southbound in north Coweta, Georgia this past Thursday night. This truck crashed in the same exact spot a similar crash occurred last Monday.

Around 8:45 pm on Thursday, a truck, hauling bags of sawdust pet bedding for PetSmart, overturned about 100 yards north of Exit 56. The cab of the truck caught fire and spread to the trailer.

“Firefighters had to cut into the trailer to extinguish the fire, said Deputy Chief Bill Haynes of the Coweta County Fire Department.” The crews used some bags of bedding to attempt to contain the leaking diesel fuel and keep it from running into the nearby stream.

There were no explosions even though the tractor was destroyed and diesel fuel was everywhere.

The driver said a motorist cut her off while she was heading south on Interstate 85. When she was cut off, she traveled off the right side of the road. As she tried to get her rig back on the roach, she overcorrected and crossed into the left lane and struck the concrete barrier. This caused the truck to overturn.

The driver was taken to the Coweta Emergency Medical Services but was not injured. “No charges will be filed against the driver.”

Apparently there is construction going on in this area. “Drivers in construction zones should obey the speed limit and make sure they aren't following too closely. Drivers should always keep a ‘safety barrier’ of five or six car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them.”

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jessica Smagacz

Dangerous Truckers And The Lack Of Adequate Regulation

M. Brandon Smith — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:16:42 GMT

Terrifying information has recently been released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is the federal agency charged with regulating the trucking industry. All United States citizens, specifically including Georgians, should be on specific attention and alert to of the following remarks:

"We have a major public safety problem, and we haven't corrected it," said Gerald Donaldson, senior research director at the Washington-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, whose members include consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies. "You have an agency that is favorably disposed to maintaining the integrity of the industry's economic situation."

Truckers violating federal medical rules have been caught in every state, according to a review by the AP of 7.3 million commercial driver violations compiled by the Transportation Department in 2006, the latest data available. Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, New Jersey, Minnesota and Ohio were states where drivers were sanctioned most frequently for breaking medical rules, such as failing to carry a valid medical certificate. Those 12 states accounted for half of all such violations in the United States."

Sick, tired and/or impaired truck drivers cause thousands of trucking accidents each year in the United States. Many of these trucking accidents end in death for those in passenger vehicles. The statistics are alarming and the FMCSA is not doing anything material to help reduce the needless loss of life that these accidents cause.

It is apparent based on this article alone that drastic changes are needed and that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration needs to be held to a higher standard in order to help save lives. Unless corrective measures are taken to keep unfit and unsafe truckers like those mentioned in this assessment off the road, all other drivers on the roadway will continue to be in danger. For more information on how you can promote awareness and visibility to this alarming issue visit the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by M. Brandon Smith

Tractor Trailer Driver Kills Pedestrian In Hit And Run Incident

M. Brandon Smith — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:03:19 GMT

Police in Dublin, Georgia are still on alert to find the driver of a tractor trailer who ran over a pedestrian on April 7, 2008. Local authorities said the local man was in the crosswalk on Georgia 31 when the unknown truck struck and killed him early that morning. The truck driver left the scene of the accident without stopping to see what injuries this pedestrian accident caused. Witnesses say the blue tractor trailer turned from the left lane on Georgia 31 onto Georgia 19. The local man struck by the tractor trailer was taken to the Medical Center of Central Georgia for emergency medical treatment. Tragically, the man later died from the internal injuries he sustained in the hit and run accident. Hopefully, someone will have seen something that will lead to capture and arrest of this careless driver.

If anyone has any information about this fatal pedestrian accident, they are encouraged to call the Dublin Police at 478-277-5023

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by M. Brandon Smith