Posted in Truck Wreck on January 27, 2015
Earlier this month near mile-marker 23 on Interstate 24, a semi-truck carrying 48,000 gallons of sulfuric acid overturned when it was involved in a single-vehicle accident. According to one local news report, the accident occurred around 11 in the morning on a Wednesday.
Evidently, the truck was heading eastbound on I-24 when one tire of the truck drifted off the roadway into the median. When the driver noticed what had happened, he over-corrected and then lost control of the truck. At some point during the wreck, the trailer came disconnected from the truck, which crossed all the lanes of traffic and ended up coming to a rest on the road’s shoulder.
Haz-mat crews were called to the scene to survey the danger. Thankfully, none of the liquid spilled out of the tanker. The driver of the truck was injured, but he was not taken to the hospital. He is expected to be fine. The driver was, however, cited for having an expired medical card. Other charges relating to the accident are pending. Police will make a decision if the driver will face criminal charges after they finish their investigation into how the accident occurred.
Crashes Caused By Negligent Truck Drivers
While the investigation is still ongoing in the above-described accident, it seems that the truck driver may have been at least partially responsible for the accident because he allowed the truck’s tire to drift off the road, causing him to lose control. Often, we see this kind of driving behavior associated with drowsy or distracted driving.
A truck driver’s job requires that they travel long distances in a short amount of time. Due to the manner in which many of them are compensated, they are incentivized to get to where they are going as quickly as possible. All too often, this means making good time at the expense of getting rest.
Federal and state laws require that semi-truck drivers maintain logs of the time they spend resting. Similarly, they must also document time that they are not on the road. There are a series of regulations that require truck drivers to only spend so many hours a day on the road. The same goes for hours per week. If a truck driver is found to have caused an accident and was above the allotted time per day or week, this fact may be used as evidence to establish the truck driver’s negligence in ignoring the rules governing the profession. If you have been injured in a Tennessee truck accident, contact a personal injury attorney.
Have You Been Involved in a Serious Tennessee Truck Accident?
If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a serious Tennessee truck accident, you may be entitled to monetary damages based on the negligence of the truck’s driver. In some cases, the trucking company that employs the driver may also be held liable for your injuries. To learn more about how to bring a Tennessee personal injury suit, and to speak to an attorney about your case, call (615) 200-1111 to set up a free consultation.
See Related Blog Posts:
Man Arrested in Clarksville after Causing Hit-and-Run Accident on I-24, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published December 17, 2014.
Woman Driving Under the Influence Crashes into Two Cars in Ft. Campbell, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published December 19, 2014.
