Posted in Truck Wreck on May 2, 2015
A 21-year-old Tennessee woman was killed earlier this month after a high-speed crash on State Road 840 in Smyrna. According to a local news report, the semi-truck driver crossed into her lane and struck the woman’s car, causing the entire driver’s seat of the woman’s car to be thrown from the car. The woman was killed at the scene, but the truck driver was not injured. Authorities have stated that charges against the truck driver are pending further investigation into the crash.
Everyone Needs to Slow Down!
Many Tennessee accidents could be prevented if commuters followed the speed limits more closely, especially when the weather or visibility is poor. Even careful drivers are sometimes forced to travel faster than they are comfortable with just to safely keep up with the flow of traffic.
As an online comment on the story above accurately describes the problem, “driving on the 840 is like driving on a race track.” When everybody is driving faster, reaction times and braking distances increase, and accidents can be more destructive. Drivers should always play it smart and drive with caution, following the posted speed limits and adjusting their driving as conditions require.
The Destructive Power of Semi-Trucks and Tractor-Trailers
The article described a powerful and destructive collision that ejected the woman and her driver’s seat from the vehicle after she was hit by the semi-truck. From the information available, it is reasonable to infer that, whether she was wearing a seatbelt or not, the woman was in serious trouble after she was hit by the truck, which weighed several times the weight of her vehicle. It is a simple fact of physics that semi-trucks have more destructive power than lighter vehicles, and this is further multiplied when speeds are high. Making matters more dangerous, the cumbersome size and shape of the trucks make accidents harder to avoid, and the taxing driving schedules for many truckers further increase the danger presented by semi-trucks.
How’s My Driving?
When a semi-truck or other vehicle is involved in a Tennessee auto accident, it is often caused by the negligence of one or more drivers involved in the crash. Professional drivers, including semi-truck drivers, are expected to handle their vehicles in a safe and professional manner, and they should be held to a high standard of safety in their driving.
Everybody’s seen the “How’s My Driving?” placards affixed to the back of commercial vehicles with a phone number to call for complaints. The companies are not doing this only as a courtesy, but also to discover and address dangerous drivers who could cause an accident – and significant legal liability for the company. When a driver is on the clock and negligently causes an accident, both the driver and company can usually be sued for damages with a Tennessee personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. Since large companies are more likely to have the resources to actually pay accident victims than the drivers themselves, the companies are often the source of compensation for accident victims. This explains why companies want dangerous driving reported to them before a driver causes an accident that gets someone hurt or killed.
Have You Been Involved in an Accident?
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a Tennessee truck accident, the attorneys at Matt Hardin Law can help you make the best decisions to hold the responsible parties accountable for the damage caused by the crash. Our dedicated and experienced Tennessee accident lawyers have helped hundreds of accident victims get fairly compensated after devastating accidents, and we can help you get back where you deserve to be after an accident. At Matt Hardin Law we represent clients in most Tennessee wrongful death or personal injury cases, including auto accidents. If you need a Tennessee accident attorney, contact us on the web or call us at 615-200-1111 to schedule a free consultation.
See Related Blog Posts:
Mother and Son Killed after Leaving Their Vehicle to Help Crash Victims on I-65, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published February 17, 2015.
Nashville Police Officer Struck by Hit-and-Run Driver While Responding to Call, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published April 3, 2014.
