North Carolina Car Accident Lawyers Blog

A recent tractor-trailer accident in Rowan on Interstate 85 unfortunately ended fatally. According to NewsChannel 36, two lanes of the Interstate were closed off after the wreck. Allegedly, a UPS driver smashed into a double trailer near exit 79 of 85. Once the two vehicles collided, the UPS truck flipped over an overpass and fell onto McCanless Road. One of the tractor-trailers was left dangling over the edge of that overpass. Authorities report that one of the drivers was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle as it flew over the overpass.

"This was not our standard accident. We don't like to see anything like this," said Deborah Horne with the Rowan County Fire Marshal's Office.

Our North Carolina trucking accident attorneys understand car accidents are common on the Interstate, but they're oftentimes catastrophic when tractor-trailers are involved. These larger vehicles carry so much weight and size and have the potential to do some real damage when involved in a wreck. Although this accident didn't involve any passenger vehicles, the threat is still very real. When smaller vehicles, like the ones you and I drive, are involved in a traffic accident with a tractor-trailer the results can be deadly.

Officials with UPS Freight say that there looking into the accident, but believe that a front-tire blowout may be the cause of the accident. According to a spokesperson with UPS, the truck driver involved in the accident was a veteran driver and had a clean driving record.

Officials report that neither of the vehicles was carrying any hazardous materials. One truck was allegedly carry cigarettes, which were looted by motorists passing by after they were dumped along the roadway in the accident.

Officials with the Department of Transportation closed two lanes of the Interstate while the mess was being clean up.

There are a few simple safety tips that drivers can follow to help to reduce their risks of being involved in a car accident with a tractor trailer. When traveling along the Interstate, tractor-trailers are common and motorists need to be prepared.

Interstate Safety Tips:

-Pay attention. Keep an eye out for tractor-trailers. They operate much differently than our passenger vehicles. Steer clear of them and allow them with plenty of room.

-Remember blind spots. Whenever driving near tractor-trailers, make sure that you can see the eyes of the driver. If you can't see them then they can't see you.

-Never tailgate a large truck.

-Put down the distractions. Driving on the interstate requires 100 percent of your attention.

-Never cut off a large truck. They take a greater distance to stop than our vehicles do.

-If you need to stop on the highway, be sure to pull completely off the road.

-Avoid road rage when driving near trucks. Their vehicles will almost always overpower you.

-Always expect the unexpected.

Continue reading "Trucking Accident in North Carolina Leaves Trucking Dangling from Overpass" »

Each October, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) hosts Drive Safely Work Week. This year's event is taking place this week through Oct, 7. The campaign is used to raise awareness among employers to help ensure the safety of their workers whose jobs require them to drive. More specifically, it focuses on reducing cell phone use and other distracted driving-related car accidents in Asheville and elsewhere.

Our North Carolina car accident attorneys would like to ask that all companies and supervising employers participate in this year's event, titled "Focus 360°: Getting there safely is everyone's business." This is the second year that this campaign has taken a national approach to reduce the risks of distracted driving car accident on the job.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, car accidents continue to be the number one cause of work-related fatalities in the U.S. In 2010, there were more than 4,500 work-related fatalities in our country. Nearly 2,000 of these fatalities were the result of on-the-job traffic accidents. These types of accidents took more lives than assaults, violent acts, contacts with objects or equipment, falls, exposure to harmful substances, fires and explosion accidents combined. The thing about distracted-driving accidents is that they are among the most preventable in the workplace!

In 2009, approximately 130 workers were killed in North Carolina, and in 2010, about 135 workers died. Nearly 50 of the 135 fatalities in 2010 were the result of on-the-job traffic accidents. These types of incidents were the leading cause of death for workers in North Carolina in 2010.

The week-long campaign focuses on work-related motor-vehicle travel, whether you're a passenger, driver or a cyclist. Everyone is at risk when there's a distracted driver behind the wheel.

The facts, according to NETS:

-Distracted driving takes a driver's physical and mental attention away from the roadways.

-Nearly 5,500 people were killed in the U.S. in 2009 because of car accidents that involved a distracted driver. Another 448,000 people were injured in these types of incidents during the same year.

-One in four accidents involved a driver who was using a cell phone.

-Texting drivers take their eyes of the roadway 400 percent more than drivers who don't text.

Employers are urged to take part in one of the following for Drive Safely Work Week:

-Enact and enforce a cell phone policy kit for your workplace, provided by the National Safety Council (NSC).

-Share tips and create activities to help enforce your current cell phone policy kit.

-Employers who decide not to enact a cell phone policy kit are still urged to educate employees about the dangers and consequences of distracted driving.

We would like to urge all employers and employees to participate in this week's events. Distracted driving-related accidents take the lives of too many workers in the U.S. every single day. These incidents are completely avoidable and preventable with the proper determination, rules and discipline.

Continue reading "Drive Safely Work Week to Help Reduce Risks of On-the-Job Car Accidents in North Carolina, Nation" »

Motorists often get concerned when they are driving down the highway and see a tractor-trailer swaying in their lane. Many times a trucking accident in Statesville, Greensboro or elsewhere occurs because a driver has worked over the allotted hours of service and becomes drowsy, cargo is too heavy and the load shifts causing an imbalance in weight distribution, or a driver is texting or talking on the cell phone while they drive.

Many of these issues have been addressed or regulated by the government in the past year but the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is adding one more recommendation to the list, a total ban on cell phone use by truck drivers. The NTSB previously suggested that cell phone use be prohibited for novice drivers and bus drivers. Most states have since then adopted laws banning either group from the unsafe behavior.

Asheville car accident attorneys know that distractions are dangerous for anyone operating a vehicle but especially for truck drivers operating a tractor-trailer which is difficult to control because of its size. Eliminating the use of handheld or hands-free devices by all truck drivers or operators in possession of a commercial driver's license would certainly make other motorists safer on North Carolina roadways and interstates.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration banned truckers from texting last year. A trucker caught sending or receiving texts behind the wheel can face a potential fine of $2,750 and possible loss of driving privileges.

The recent recommendation to ban cell phones from truck drivers by the NTSB follows a full blown investigation of a trucking accident near Munfordville, KY which killed 12 people in 2010. Bloomberg reports that NTSB investigators found that the distracted truck driver causing the crash was on his cell phone when he crossed the median, broke through cable barriers and hit an oncoming 15-passenger van carrying 12 people attending a wedding. The van driver, nine passengers in the van and the truck driver were all killed in the fatal tragedy.

NTSB officials investigating the accident found that the truck driver had used his cell phone 69 times for calls and text messages in the 24-hour period leading up to the accident. The driver had made 4 calls a few minutes before the accident and the last call corresponded with the same time the tractor-trailer veered across the center median.

The investigative report also indicated that road or weather conditions, the health of the truck driver and mechanical conditions of the large truck had no impact in causing the accident. It is unclear whether drowsiness contributed to the distraction and supplemented the cause of the accident.

The American Trucking Association and many of its 37,000 members already regulate cell phone use by their companies, according to a spokesman. Though they don't necessarily feel that a hands-free ban is needed, they contend a texting ban and prohibition of handheld devices is in order to keep all motorists safe from a trucking accident caused by driver distraction.

Continue reading "Banning Cell Phone Use by Truck Drivers Can Reduce the Risk of Fatal Tractor-Trailer Accidents in Statesville, Elsewhere" »

North Carolina farmers operating large machinery have been taking to the roads recently so that they can get their crops cut, sold, or stored before the cold weather sets in. Recent news from the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) indicates that farmers will continue to be free to transport their goods however they see fit because the government has no intention of setting new regulations.

With daylight hours continuing to get shorter with each passing day, our Hickory car accident attorneys know that farmers will be working hard to get their crops harvested; motorists are advised to use a little extra caution to avoid a car accident involving farm machinery in North Carolina.

Many pieces of farm equipment are big and bulky and loads are not always secured properly so motorist should drive safely when they attempt to pass or follow behind a tractor, hay wagon or other large piece of slow moving equipment.

John Porcari, U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary reconfirmed that there is no need for states to make changes to regulations that have worked well in the past. Changing or adding new regulations is not needed within the farm community and farmers will continue to have the same exemptions they have always had.

Farmers expressed their concerns about the overnment clamping down on transport regulations earlier this year, which led to the U.S Department of Transportation initiating a review. The FMCSA released guidance which orders state officials to use a common sense approach in allowing farmers, farm workers and their families to go about their business and transport produce and other product to market each day. The government will not impose any new regulations or new safety requirements, or change rules with regard to how farm machinery or farm supplies are transported to and from a farm.

Approximately 1,700 farmers nationwide submitted comments and concerns to FMCSA, of which most requested that the agency allow state governments to oversee exceptions as needed. One concern proposed by farmers was that a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) for some farm operations would not be exempted which is a concern for those using "crop-share" leasing. Upon further investigation, FMCSA found many inconsistencies from state to state which resulted in asking state officials to ease up on safety regulations for new entrants performing "crop share" leasing. There are three issues of particular interest as it pertains to farm equipment on public roadways. These issues include:

-Interstate vs. Intrastate commerce: Very little leeway is given to FMCSA since the U.S. Supreme Court and otherfederal courts have determined the difference between the two. The states and agriculture industry have come to terms and generally agree that no new regulatory guidance is needed at this time.

-Commercial Driver's License: As of now, each state can regulate and make exceptions with regard to CDL when it comes to operators of farm vehicles, including family members of farmers or employees hired by the farmer. FMCSA has determined that farmers who rent farmland and gain from the crops or transport to market for themselves or their landlords should be permitted to obtain CDL exemptions handed out by the state.

-Implements of Husbandry: It is next to impossible to keep farm equipment off of rural public roadways, even if only for short trips. Most states already have common sense regulations and enforce these practices so that farmers can move equipment to and from the crops and the farm safely. FMCSA has determined no changes are needed at the federal level.

Motorists should keep a watchful eye for farm machinery transporting goods and equipment in the weeks to come. Showing a little extra patience can reduce the risk of injury involved in a collision with machinery operated by a farmer.

Continue reading "North Carolina Car Accidents Involving Farm Equipment an Autumn Danger" »

The Citizen-Times recently reported on the efforts of a 23-year veteran of the North Carolina Highway Patrol to keep truck weights from increasing.

Our North Carolina personal injury lawyers of Asheville and elsewhere know that raising truck weights could raise the risk of North Carolina trucking accidents.

Trooper Ron Crawford, president of the North Carolina Troopers Association, has seen plenty of horrific accidents involving big rigs. This is why he strongly opposes any changes to the maximum weight requirements. He traveled to Capitol Hill in an attempt to convince North Carolina's members of Congress to reject legislation that would loosen restrictions on the semi trucks. He is scheduled to meet with North Carolina U.S. Reps. Walter Jones, Heath Shuler, Renee Ellmers, Larry Kissell and Howard Coble, along with state Sens. Kay Hagan and Richard Burr.

"Our message is all about keeping the citizens of North Carolina safe," said Crawford, who is assigned to Madison County. "The last thing we need on our roads is heavier, larger trucks."

Federal law prohibits on most federal highways loaded trucks heavier than 80,000 pounds and longer than 53 feet. Bills pending in the House and Senate would give states the option to increase the weight limit to 97,000 pounds. Trucks would also be able to have up to three trailers hitched together. This is part of the first Highway Reauthorization package in more than six years. The American Trucking Association is a big supporter of the bills, saying bigger loads would increase the efficiency of transporting goods and decrease truck traffic on the roads.

"Many shippers hit the 30-year-old federal weight limit with significant space left in their rigs and must use more truckloads, fuel and vehicle miles than necessary to get products to market," said John Runyan, director of the Coalition for Transportation Productivity.

Those opposed to heavier trucks counter that taxpayers will be paying for road repairs, the potential for damage to bridges will rise, and the heavier and larger trucks present a great risk to motorists. Crawford told the story of a tractor trailer rounding a curve on U.S. 19, barely missing a school bus. The truck crashed to miss the bus, but if the truck had been heavier and harder to maneuver, the outcome could have been tragically different.

"Allowing heavier weights would only increase the likelihood of a collision like that happening in the future," Crawford said, adding that bigger loads increase stopping distances. "We have a lot of truck wrecks out there anyway. This will only make it more unsafe."

A competing bill - Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - aims to leave truck weights and sizes alone.

Continue reading "Heavier Truck Loads Could Raise Risk of North Carolina Trucking Accidents" »

Two motorists died this past weekend after a tanker slammed into a bridge abutment and burst into flames, according to WCNC. The accident shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 85, the Highway Patrol reported. Interstate 85 northbound lanes will remain closed until crews complete repairs to the bridge. The accident forced the creation of a six-mile detour around the bridge.

A recent two-day forum in Washington D.C. aimed to resolve problems in these common trucking accidents in North Carolina and elsewhere across the United States. Advocates sought to place stricter regulations on these trucking companies and their commercial vehicles.

Our North Carolina car accident attorneys recognize the dangers of these oversized loads. Heavy cargo poses threats to motorists sharing the roadways with the large, commercial trucks. Drivers also experience severe fatigue while transporting these large loads as they work long, hard hours with reportedly low pay.

Big rig crashes are common across the Valley and the country, and one of the biggest factors is fatigue, reports CBS 47.

Because of such trucking accidents, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking to revise the current truck-driver rules to increase safety across the board.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were almost 3,500 deaths resulting from traffic accidents involving these large trucks in 2009. In that year, 75 percent of the deaths were occupants of the other vehicles, 10 percent were nonoccupants and 15 percent were occupants of the trucks.

That same year resulted in about 74,000 people with injuries from these accidents. Again, occupants in the other vehicle sustained most of the injuries.

To address these numbers, the NTSB is considering cutting back on hours that a truck driver can work consecutively behind the wheel.

But that might not solve the problem.

In an effort to protect motorists from large trucks, families of accident victims, crash survivors and safety advocates are joining members of Congress to announce the introduction of the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act (SHIPA). This act will aim to cap the length and weight limitations for vehicles operating on federal-aid highways to help reduce the risks of potentially fatal accidents, according to the Auto Channel.

Other changes are being considered in additions to size and weight caps, but the safety board will meet with drivers, law enforcement and experts before making any decisions.

Continue reading "Victims and Survivors of Truck Accidents in North Carolina and Elsewhere Look to Revise Trucking Regulations" »

Recently CBS 47 reported on a two day forum in Washington, D.C. that focused on how to prevent semi truck crashes and deaths.

Our North Carolina personal injury lawyers in Hickory and elsewhere hope the forum addressed the issue of fatigue driving and overweight trucks, a leading cause of North Carolina truck accidents.

In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported almost 3,400 fatalities from crashes involving large trucks and over 74,000 injuries nationwide. Fatal large truck crashes happen mostly in rural areas (64 percent), on a weekday (79 percent) and during daytime hours (66 percent). In North Carolina, of the 1,778 fatal crashes reported in 2009, 115 involved large trucks and in South Carolina 78 of the 1,156 fatal crashes involved a large truck. One suggestion to decrease driver fatigue is to cut back on the amount of time truck drivers can spend behind the wheel. Currently truckers can drive 11 hours in a 14 hour work day and can drive 70 hours every 8 days. A new rule would potentially decrease driving time to 10 hours a day. Some argue cutting off an hour will just lead to other issues like speeding.

As safety advocates consider decreasing hours of service, Congress is flirting with the idea of increasing truck weight limits.

The Daily Comet asks the question: Should a tractor trailer weigh more than 80,000 pounds? Congress will be focusing on this issue because two bills are currently up for debate. The first one, to freeze the 80,000 limit and the other to let states decide if they want 97,000 pound trucks travel their roadways.

Some groups want the higher poundage saying putting more cargo on the trucks will lessen the number of trucks on the road, thus saving fuel. Other groups say to leave the weight limit as is, citing heavy trucks equal more horrific crashes and increased wear and tear on highways.

SETA (Safe and Efficient Transportation Act) is the bill to increase the truck weight limits and SHIPA (Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act) is the bill to leave the weights as is. Both bills have been filed in House and Senate.

Continue reading "Weight Restrictions Could Reduce Trucking Accidents in Hickory" »

Improving highway safety seems to be on the minds of everyone these days, according to a recent survey published by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The government's initiative to reduce car accidents in North Carolina and elsewhere in the country has gained the attention of many motorists who use our roadways.

Car accident attorneys in Statesville, Winston-Salem and Greensboro know that getting drunk and distracted drivers off the roadways improves safety but there still remains much to be done by state and federal governments to reduce the number of fatalities each year on American roadways. The launch of 'Decade of Action for Road Safety' campaign has gone global in the fight against deaths on roadways. Regrettably, campaigns don't really help victims or their families with the financial hardships faced after suffering a severe or fatal injury -- so seeking professional advice is an important step to maintaining financial stability throughout the recovery process.

We first mentioned the international campaign last month on our North Carolina Car Accident Lawyers Blog. The Safe Systems Approach over the next 10 years aims to improve vehicle safety, build safer roadways, change unfavorable driving behaviors, and improve the emergency care given following a crash.

"At a time when more and more U.S. highway safety agencies are adopting "Toward Zero Death" goals, it is very heartening to see motorist support for more, not less action by government to make our roads safer," said J. Peter Kissinger, President of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, that commissioned this survey.

The AAA Foundation reports the following responses from American motorists on the survey:

-70 percent agree that stricter driving safety laws should be imposed.

-41 percent agree that the federal government should make cars safer, 60 percent feel automakers have the responsibility to enhance car safety.

-86 percent agree that a driver education course should be completed prior to licensing for all new drivers.

-57 percent agree that state government legislatures should be more active in making roadways safer in respective states.

-62 percent agree that our country needs more laws to curb bad driving behaviors.
It is projected that by 2020, there will be almost 2 million traffic fatalities throughout the entire world in a calendar year. The universal goal is to put monetary resources towards education, road design, technology, and laws in order to reduce traffic fatalities worldwide.

May 11th, 2011 marks the official launch of 'Decade of Action for Road Safety' with an event hosted in Washington, D.C. Over 50 countries and 30 U.S. states will show support of the global campaign by wearing the trademark symbol, the yellow tag, in recognition of a worldwide effort to make roadways safer.

For more information about the event, click here to view.

Continue reading " Motorists support worldwide effort to reduce traffic fatalities in North Carolina, throughout the country" »

Certainly our Greenville personal injury lawyers often report on the serious and fatal car and truck accidents caused by all types of poor driving behavior, including speeding, drunk driving and distracted driving.

But we really must take a moment to salute Hubert Crisp Jr., of Greenville, who has spent the last 40 years navigating his big brown truck without a single Carolina traffic accident.

The Greenville News reports it is good enough to tie Crisp for sixth-best of UPS's 102,000 drivers. He is one of the company's 22 elite drivers in South Carolina.

Accidents involving large trucks are especially hazardous to Carolina motorists.

The Business Journal reported that 11 drivers in the Triad were honored, putting them among 54 elite drivers in North Carolina.

"UPS puts a premium on safe-driving methods and training, and these drivers represent the best of the industry," said Dow Dameron, president and chief operating officer, UPS South Atlantic District. "I'm very proud of these men and women. To go at least a quarter-of-a-century without an accident is a testament to the effectiveness of that training and to the pride our people take in their jobs."

Continue reading "UPS drivers honored for quarter-century without a Carolina truck accident" »

A 40-year-old trucker from Arkansas pled guilty to reckless and careless driving and to misdemeanor death by motor vehicle charges in a Guilford County courtroom last week, the Greensboro News & Record reports.

The charges stem from a May 9 fatal Greensboro car accident involving her tractor-trailer and a passenger car carrying three brothers and their mother. Two of the boys died from their injuries. The trucker admitted to law enforcement at the scene she had been on her cell phone at the time of the crash, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.

As our injury attorneys in Rock Hill have noted in a prior post to our North Carolina Car Accident Lawyers Blog, two-thirds of motorists surveyed recently said they would support a complete ban of cell phone use by drivers.

The driver was, among other things, ordered to pay a $750 fine. She also has had her license suspended for 18 months and received a 75-day (suspended) jail sentence. She is further required to perform various community service acts and participate in public-speaking and distracted driving awareness efforts.

For the father of the two boys killed in this tragic Carolina car accident, justice is far from served. Since shortly after the crash, he has been pushing state lawmakers to advance legislation that bans all cell phone use for North Carolina drivers. As of the sentencing, he says he will now focus his efforts on stiffening penalties for distracted drivers who cause serious or fatal car accidents.

In 2008, tractor-trailers were involved in 3,840 reported North Carolina car accidents. Of those, 67 were fatal and 1,128 left motorists injured, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles reports. Distracted driving alone was tied to 2,604 car accidents across the state in 2008. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, tractor-trailers were involved in more than 3,300 car accidents that left 55 dead and 1,136 injured. Driver distraction across the state was linked to 16 fatalities and 2,422 injuries.

Continue reading "Semi driver pleads guilty in fatal Greensboro tractor-trailer accident" »

A Greensboro, North Carolina tractor-trailer accident seriously injured a man in a wreck Tuesday night on U.S. 29, according to the News-Record.

Our Greensboro accident attorneys understand the complex nature of trucking accidents and the often serious or fatal consequences caused by accidents with large trucks on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 1 in 9 fatalities on the nation's roads involve an accident with a semi or other large commercial truck. In 2008, more than 90,000 motorists were injured and 4,229 were killed in accidents with large truck. North Carolina trucking accidents killed 143 while 81 motorists died as a result of truck accidents in South Carolina.

In this incident, the southbound lanes of U.S. 29 were closed near Hicone Road for about 12 hours. Police report a Gibsonville man was driving a 1998 Toyota Camry north on U.S. 29 when he tried to turn left onto N. O'Henry Street. The 48-year-old driver of a Kenworth tractor-trailer reports that victim turned into his path, causing him to crash his truck into the vehicle's passenger side.

The truck caught fire and was extinguished by firefighters. The truck driver was able to escape. The cause of the crash remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.

FOX 8 reports the 31-year-old victim was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Continue reading "Greensboro semi truck accident critically injures Gibsonville man" »

A North Carolina semi accident has claimed the life of five motorists. NBC4 reported that four died in the pileup Sunday night on I-26. News Channel 7 reported that a 5th victim later died as a result of the accident in Henderson County and that a sixth person remains in critical condition.

The 48-year-old driver is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of assault inflicting serious bodily injury. Additional charges are possible.

Nine cars were involved in the chain-reaction collision just before 11 p.m. Sunday near the Airport Road exit, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol. The crash closed the highway for more than 7 hours.

Authorities report that seven vehicles were stopped on the highway for another accident involving a dump truck when a tractor-trailer approaching from the rear did not stop and hit three of the vehicles without slowing down. The force of the accident slammed six vehicles into each other and another tractor trailer parked at the front of the accident. The at-fault semi dragged one of the vehicles through the median before finally coming to rest.

Our North Carolina injury lawyers frequently report the dangers large trucks pose to other motorists on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that one of every nine fatal accidents involves a tractor-trailer or other large commercial truck on the road.

In 2008, nearly 400,000 large trucks were involved in accidents that claimed 4,229 lives and injured more than 90,000. North Carolina trucking accidents claimed 143 lives while South Carolina tractor-trailer crashes killed 81.

Continue reading "North Carolina truck accident kills 5 " »

Over the span of one week, tractor-trailers were involved in two separate North Carolina car accidents that left one dead and four injured. In Wilbar, a 47-year-old rig driver dumped his load of lumber after his brakes burned out while rounding a downward curve, the Wilkes Journal-Patriot reports. For about four hours, N.C. 16 was shut to north and southbound traffic, and no injuries were reported. The driver was cited for improper brakes.

In Calhoun County, a pile-up involving three tractor-trailers and two passenger vehicles killed one Tennessee woman and sent three - including her 17-year-old daughter - to the hospital. The wreck began when one passenger vehicle collided with a large truck and both vehicles crossed the median and though cable barriers into oncoming traffic along I-26. The Times and Democrat reports that the crash dumped old batteries, sulfuric acid and spilled diesel along the highway.

Our North Carolina commercial trucking accident lawyers know that in 2008, 143 large trucks were involved in fatal North Carolina car accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2008, tractor-trailers were involved in 380,000 traffic accidents nationwide that left 90,000 people injured and more than 4,200 dead. In fact, tractor-trailers were responsible for one-in-nine traffic fatalities. Large trucks are more often involved in multi-vehicle fatal car accidents, and in three out of four crashes involving a rig, occupants of other vehicles were killed.

There are few simple safety tips drivers can implement when sharing road space with an 18-wheeler:

~ The bigger the vehicle, the more expansive the blind spot. For 18-wheelers especially that blind spot is pronounced along the passenger side. Drivers should NEVER attempt to pass a tractor-trailer on the right-hand side.

~ Before crossing into the lane in front of a tractor-trailer, make sure you can see road space between your car and the rig in your rear-view mirror. This should give the rig driver adequate time to stop without striking your vehicle in the event of an emergency. Keep in mind, the bigger - and heavier - a vehicle is, the more time it takes to for that vehicle to come to rest.

~ Don't tailgate a tractor-trailer. A big-rig driver can only see what is in their mirrors when it comes to side and rear views. Only when you can see mirrors along both sides of a tractor-trailer, are you visible to a big-rig driver.

Continue reading "Tractor-trailer accidents a constant threat to North Carolina motorists" »

A text messaging ban is now in place nationwide for commercial bus and truck drivers and should help reduce the risk of a serious or fatal North Carolina tractor-trailer accident caused by distracted driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

During remarks at the second-annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood also said a loophole that did not apply the law to in-state truckers hauling hazardous materials has been closed and that the law will also apply to train operators.

Additionally, the government is working with employers to create and promote anti-distracted driving policies. And a pilot program in Connecticut and New York -- dubbed "Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other" has proven to significantly improve compliance with the law in cities that have instituted cell phone bans for drivers.

"We are taking action on a number of fronts to address the epidemic of distracted driving in America," said LaHood. "With the help of the experts, policymakers, and safety advocates we've assembled here, we are going to do everything we can to put an end to distracted driving and save lives."

So far, 1,600 U.S. companies have enrolled 10.5 million workers through Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), a public-private partnership aimed at reducing the risk of distracted driving in the workplace. Another 550 organization plan to adopt policies in the next 12 months that will cover an additional 1.5 million workers.

"I am thrilled that businesses across the country are making anti-distracted driving policies an integral part of their employee culture," said LaHood. "President Obama led by example last year by banning four million federal workers from texting behind the wheel. Employers across America are doing the same to help us set an example and keep our roads safe."

Nationwide, an estimated 6,000 motorists were killed and 500,000 were injured in accidents caused by distracted driving. Only speeding and drunk driving are blamed for more deaths on the road.

Continue reading "Rules against text messaging could reduce dangers of North Carolina trucking accidents" »

A Charlotte, North Carolina semi accident closed a portion of Interstate 77 over the weekend, WCNC reported.

Our North Carolina truck accident attorneys continue to be concerned about the high number of accidents involving trucks and other large commercial vehicles. The extreme weight of tractor trailers -- many weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, or 20 times the weight of a passenger car -- make them deadly in the event of an accident involving other motorists on the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports there were 380,000 trucking accidents on the nation's highways in 2008, which claimed 4,229 lives and injured more than 90,000. North Carolina trucking accidents killed 143 motorists that year; South Carolina truck accidents claimed 81 lives.

The accident happened shortly before noon on I-77 southbound, near where it intersects with I-485 in north Charlotte. The southbound lanes were closed for several hours and traffic was rerouted to U.S. 21. The North Carolina Highway Patrol reports that one person was transported to the hospital with undisclosed injuries.

The vast majority of fatality victims in large trucking accidents are motorists in other vehicles. In 2008, three quarters of those killed or injured were passengers in another vehicle, accounting for 3,139 deaths and 64,000 injuries.

Channel 9 reported that troopers were uncertain about what caused the accident.

Continue reading "Charlotte, North Carolina trucking accidents a serious threat to motorist safety" »