The sheer size and weight of tractor trailers alone is enough to make them a dangerous force on the roadways. When their immense size and weight is combined with negligent operation or other unsavory circumstances, tractor trailers can become deadly. Recently, a 50-year-old Bulgarian immigrant was sentenced for his part in a fatal accident that took place in North Carolina in 2010.
According to authorities, the truck driver was traveling at a high rate of speed on Interstate 26 in Henderson County North Carolina. Purportedly, his truck crashed into a line of vehicles stopped as a result of a previous accident. The crash killed five people.
The truck driver, a Wisconsin man by way of Bulgaria, pleaded guilty in court to five separate counts of involuntary manslaughter. The judge presiding over his case sentenced him to somewhere between four and five years in prison. That is 48 to 60 months, respectively.
One law enforcement official believes the tractor trailer crash resulted from driver fatigue. Given the magnitude of the vehicles they operate, tractor trailers are held to a higher standard in order to ensure the safety of the drivers with which they share the roads. Holding a commercial vehicle driver’s license means that the men and women who operate these vehicles are trained to do so properly. It is the responsibility of the driver to recognize fatigue and address it as necessary. Anyone who feels they’ve been victimized by the negligence of a truck driver, or in an accident with a commercial vehicle, reserves the right to examine his or her options under the umbrella of the law.
Source: Associated Press, “Wisconsin trucker sentenced in North Carolina crash that killed 5,” March 9, 2013