Many of the commercial truck accidents that take place in North Carolina are the result of driver intoxication or distraction. Some may also be caused by truckers that have not taken adequate rest breaks. In early November, a truck driver who may have been intoxicated, distracted and in need of a rest break caused a fatal accident in Boise, Idaho.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the truck driver in Idaho had already lost his commercial driver’s license when he struck and killed a passenger car driver who was standing beside his wrecked car on Interstate 84. In January 2015, the truck driver had been fired by his employer for testing positive for methamphetamine in a random drug test. According to reports, the trucker never made an attempt to have his CDL reinstated.
After the accident, the truck driver reportedly told an investigator that he was texting while driving and that he had taken methamphetamines days before the crash. At the time of the crash, the truck driver had also been working over the legal limit for driving hours and hours-of-service.
Semi truck accidents can cause catastrophic and sometimes fatal injuries to pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles. When a person is killed in such a crash that was caused by the negligence of a truck driver, the surviving family members may want to have the assistance of an attorney when filing a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation for their losses. In addition to the negligent driver, in some cases the trucking company itself could be held financially responsible.
Source: Overdrive Online, “Already-disqualified trucker shut down by FMCSA following fatal accident,” Nov. 29, 2016