Jul 24, 2012 | Car Accidents, Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized
Columbia television station WIS reports that 14 were killed Sunday evening near the border in an accident involving a pickup truck on a rural highway. The accident was likely caused by tire separation said safety experts. The truck was apparently carrying 23 before it crashed, killing the 14, while 9 remain hospitalized.
It is not clear yet whether the truck’s tire separation was caused by a manufacturing or design defect, rather than a defect in the tire’s maintenance. Authorities have yet to name the tire’s manufacturer.
11 people died on the scene, including 2 children. 3 more died at hospitals. The driver died in the crash, despite the separated tire being on the right.
The Truck and Car Accident Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a truck or car accident, you need the help of a serious trucking attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken & Hightower. Call us at 877-374-5999, or contact us at this link, to schedule a free, private consultation. We can help you evaluate your claim and get you the recovery you deserve.
Jul 23, 2012 | Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized
Yesterday, a bus hit a truck on Pawley’s Island. 19 were injured, one killed, one person is still in critical condition. The driver of the truck, a pickup, apparently never saw the bus and attempted to cross the road. The bus then t-boned the truck in the truck’s driver’s side.
The truck driver was the only fatality.
First responders from Murrells Inlet, Horry County and Georgetown City and County assisted the Midway Fire Rescue in their response.
The Commercial Vehicle Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a trucking accident, you need the help of a serious trucking attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken & Hightower. Call us at 877-374-5999, or contact us at this link, to schedule a free, private consultation. We can help you evaluate your claim and get you the recovery you deserve.
Jul 20, 2012 | Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized
Wednesday a man was killed on Highway 22 in Horry County in an accident involving a pickup truck and a dump truck. The dump truck had been driving well below the speed limit due to mechanical issues, and the pickup truck ran into the back of the dump truck. The driver of the dump truck was not injured, but the driver of the pickup truck was killed.
The Truck Accident Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower
If you or someone you know have been injured or killed in an accident involving any type of commercial truck or other vehicle, you need serious attorneys. The truck accident attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower know how to handle truck accident cases and are ready to fight to get the compensation you deserve. Browse our website, review our credentials, and then call us at 877-374-5999, or contact us at this link, for a free private consultation to evaluate your claim.
Jul 13, 2012 | Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized
Cargo shifting is a common cause of tractor trailer accident, but there was a dramatic illustration of that fact week before last.
The police investigation in a Rhode Island tractor trailer crash determined the semi crash was caused by improperly loading the cargo of bananas. The box trailer had been loaded full of bananas by Chiquita, apparently improperly. They were issued a citation for improper loading of cargo.
The truck driver apparently was driving completely safely, wasn’t speeding, and wasn’t, when out of no where, the cargo of bananas shifted in the trailer of the truck and caused the truck to crash into a gas main, injuring the driver and starting a fire that burnt down a historic building.
In cases cargo shifting, if the tractor trailer had injured an individual, that individual would have a good personal injury claim against whatever entity was responsible for loading the box trailer, but not the carrier and probably not the driver.
The Trucking Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a trucking accident, you need the help of a serious trucking attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken & Hightower. Review our credentials, make sure we are right for you, and then call us at 877-374-5999, or contact us at this link, to schedule a free, private consultation. We can help you evaluate your claim and get you the recovery you deserve.
Jun 26, 2012 | Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized
One problem in trucking accident cases is that semis are capable of doing far more damage than the truck driver (sometimes the only obvious negligent party) can afford to compensate, either from their own savings or from their personal insurance. A good negligence claim is no guarantee of an actual monetary recovery. A negligent party must actually have the resources to compensate the plaintiff. The trucking line or carrier, unlike the trucker him or herself, is likely to have the means, or at least the insurance, to compensate the victims of trucking accidents. So, a plaintiff’s lawyer will most often need to find a theory of liability for the trucking line.
The most obvious theory is the same theory that would allow a shopper at Walmart to sue the Walmart corporation for the actions of one of their local Walmart employee’s actions: Respondeat Superior. That Latin phrase simply refers to the legal doctrine of holding “masters” (employers) responsible for the negligence of their “servants” (employees). If the truck driver in the accident was actually an employee or the trucking line or carrier exercised sufficient control over the trucker, the carrier or line will be liable for the driver’s negligence in the accident.
Often though, carriers will try to avoid this liability by distancing themselves from the truckers who would traditionally be their employees, by making the truckers independent contractors. In order for this to work, the carrier will have had to separate themselves enough that plaintiffs would be unable to prove that the driver was actually an employee. In these independent trucker cases, negligence of the truck driver will not be enough to hold the carrier liable for the plaintiff’s damages in a truck accident.
The plaintiff’s lawyer will have to prove negligence of the carrier itself. There are a number of theories under which trucking lines will be held liable for the plaintiff’s damages; most though will flow from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. These regulations require the carrier to keep watch over the truckers they contract with to ensure that the carriers who are profiting off of their pseudo-employees are not shirking the liability that should come with those profits.
Serious Truck Accident Attorneys
If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident involving a commercial truck, you should contact an experienced trucking accident attorney like those at Reeves, Aiken, & Hightower. We know how to fight for you. Compare our credentials to any other law firm. Then call 877-374-5999 or contact us at this link for a private consultation at no cost to you.
