A federal jury in Florida has awarded the family of a 33-year-old man who was killed in 2009 by a fatigued truck driver $3 million. The case involved a collision between two commercial tractor-trailers. The driver of the at-fault truck failed to yield the right of way and caused the victim's truck to hit the back of her truck. The at-fault driver testified in court that she saw lights coming, but felt that they were far away. Testimony revealed that she had been on duty for about 19 hours prior to the accident, which was in violation of the 14-hour "Hour of Service" Rule of the Motor Carrier Safety Act.
Unfortunately, large companies routinely push commercial truck drivers to break the law in order to make delivery deadlines. It is a very common practice and is responsible for many injuries and deaths each year in our country. These companies have to be held accountable and forced to stop making shipping deadlines more important that human lives.
From 1986-2006, there was a 49 percent increase in registered large trucks, equaling 8.8 million trucks throughout the country and a 76 percent hike in miles traveled by large trucks. Tractor-trailers pose a much greater risk of being involved in a rollover or jack-knife accident, due to their immense size. The national 2007 facts about truck accidents are unsettling:
- There were 4,584 trucks involved in fatal accidents.
- There were 4,808 fatalities in crashes involving semi-trucks.
- There were 139,587 commercial trucks involved in non-fatal accidents.
- There were 56,487 semi-trucks involved in injury collisions.
- There were 83,908 injuries in crashes involving commercial trucks.
- There were 83,100 trucks involved in tow away accidents.
- There were 2,248 large trucks involved in Hazmat placard crashes.
Source, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS)
If you or someone you love has been injured by the wrongdoing of another, contact us today at Linton & Associates for your free consultation. We will fight for you against these large companies and ensure that they are held accountable for the injuries that they have caused you to suffer.
My name is Christopher S. Linton, Attorney at Linton and Associates Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama. We specialize in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises and Product Liability, Auto Accidents and Infant Injury and Death.
Keywords: At-Fault Driver Accidents, Semi-Tractor Trailer Accidents, Settlements, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death
The U.S. roadways see approximately 500,000 truck accidents each year, resulting in about 5,000 deaths. Tractor trailer accidents are especially dangerous considering the fact that they can weigh more than 80,000 pounds and can extend up to 75 feet in length.
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