As we mentioned earlier this week on our Fayetteville personal injury law blog, drivers can easily avoid causing serious or fatal accidents simply by paying close attention to the roads. Drivers, especially those who operate large commercial trucks, can also avoid serious accidents on our roads by making sure that their vehicles are in proper working condition. Failing to fix a broken or faulty auto part could be disastrous.
To help reduce accidents caused by faulty or broken auto parts, regulators in the commercial vehicle transportation industry require companies and drivers to perform necessary maintenance work and vehicle inspections on large trucks. As one community learned after a tragic incident on a U.S. highway last week, a poorly maintained tractor-trailer could lead to a serious and fatal truck accident.
The fatal truck accident occurred last week in Georgia. According to traffic reports, a tractor-trailer was cruising down the highway when it lost some of its mechanical parts. The parts flew off the truck and crashed into a Chevrolet Trailblazer that had been traveling in the opposite direction on the highway. An 8-year-old boy who was a passenger in the Trailblazer was killed in the incident. Two others who were in the Trailblazer were seriously injured and hospitalized.
It may take months before the investigation of the fatal accident is completed. The truck driver claims that he was not aware that his truck had faulty parts or needed any repairs. If it is discovered that the driver and his employer knew about the truck’s mechanical problems, the trucking firm could face criminal charges in addition to any legal actions taken by the victims and their families.
When victims are injured or killed in accidents involving commercial vehicles or tractor-trailers, it is important that they have an experienced attorney on their side who knows how to represent victims and their families when dealing with a trucking firm’s insurance company. A personal injury attorney will be able to make sure that a truck accident is investigated thoroughly and that the trucking company does not attempt to offer victims and their families less than what they deserve after a serious or fatal crash.
Source: CBS Atlanta, “Tractor trailer driver speaks out after truck parts kill child, injure 2 others,” Katie Kosciolek and Bernard Watson, July 12, 2012