Little Rock Personal Injury Lawyer - Tractor-Trailer Accidents

Tractor-trailer Rig Causes Death

Frank Bailey — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:01:41 GMT

Just when I think Mountain Home, Arkansas is a safe place to live, reality strikes. Yesterday on Highway 62-412 about twenty five miles west of Mountain Home near the small town of Viola a man was suddenly faced with an emergency situation. An 18 Wheeler overturned in front of him. Caleb Lard of Mountain Home did everything he could in the emergency situation to avoid hitting the three large rolls of rubber from the 18 Wheeler that blocked his path.
A utility pole on the side of the highway took the life of Caleb's passenger through no fault of Caleb according to the news reports.

Who is to blame? According to news reports, charges are pending against Roy Choate of Harrison, the driver of the Kenworth tractor that went out of control in a curve.

Living in Mountain Home, I drive on these curvy roads every day. But, do I expect a semi to lose control and overturn in front of me? Of course not.

We all need to take responsibility and drive cautiously, but sometimes there is nothing that can be done, as in a situation such as this when a semi rolls in front of you.

Also reported injured were 26 year old Chasity D Lawing of Mountain Home and two year old Ethan Pucket also of Mountain Home. It is not clear from the early reports how they were injured.

Developing…

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Senate Blocks Bill on Pilot Truck Program

Drew Dixon — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:44:52 GMT

Members of the Senate voted and blocked a truck program that would have given 100 Mexican truck carriers an opportunity to have 500 trucks cross the border and transport goods on U.S. Highways.

Since its inception in 1994, The North American Free Trade Agreement has given supporters of free trade the idea of a pilot program involving Mexican truck carriers. In fact, last year the Bush administration was fully committed to moving forward with a pilot test program that would have allowed Mexican trucks to operate freely across the U.S. until Congress cut off the necessary funding for the implementation of the program in December.

In a further effort to thwart the program, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 20-9 to block the pilot program last week, making it two times in a row the program has been contested.

Citing a concern for highway safety and U.S. jobs, opponents of the program believe there are insufficient safeguards in place to ensure Mexican trucks are as safe as U.S. carriers. The Department of Transportation may find it impossible to enforce their rules and regulations on companies in Mexico. Currently, Mexican trucks have to stop at a border buffer zone and transport their loads onto U.S. carrier trucks.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons by Alex Covarrubias

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Drew Dixon

Winslow Truck Driver Killed in Trucking Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:49:54 GMT

A 57-year-old truck driver was killed when his semi-truck overturned on Arkansas Highway 59 South. The trucking accident happened near Siloam Springs. The truck was a feed truck for Tyson.

The one-vehicle accident occurred at 6: 30 p. m. Wednesday about three miles south of Siloam Springs. It happened on a sharp curve and a steep hill just north of the Illinois River bridge.
Emergency responders from Siloam Springs Fire Department were on the scene at 6: 42 p. m. and extricated Oliver's body from the truck, Fire Chief Jimmy Harris said. The truck's steering wheel entrapped Oliver.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The Arkansas State Police investigated the accident. The driver died at the scene of the accident.

If you would like to read more about truck accidents, please visit InjuryBoard's Truck Accidents information page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Hazmat Called for Windsor Trucking Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:54:02 GMT

A trucking accident in Windsor, Connecticut closed down parts of Interstate 91 and required a Hazmat team to help clean up the scene. A dump truck hauling dirt overturned due to a flat tire. The truck then hit the center median and two light poles before tipping over.

The dirt was contaminated with pesticides and other chemicals, and the scene was treated as a hazardous materials cleanup, authorities said.

The driver was injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was given a ticket for the faulty tire. The trucking company that employs the driver has a very bad safety record.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Tractor-Trailer Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Truck Collides With Train in Beauregard

Shannon Weidemann — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:03:16 GMT

A semi-truck was hit by a train in Beauregard and injured four people on Tuesday. The trucking accident occured as the semi-truck was attempting to cross the railroad crossing at Ampacet Drive. The crossing does not have gates or warning lights.

When the 94-car train struck the 18-wheeler's trailer, the trailer was ripped in half. The cab and half the trailer were dragged 287 feet down the tracks to directly behind CBG Used Cars, where it caught fire.
Morgan and his son, a passenger in the cab, were able to escape the cab. The two were transported to Beauregard Memorial Hospital, where they were treated for moderate injuries and released.

The train's conductor and engineer were also injured in the accident. They both had minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital. The driver of the semi-truck was issued a citation for failure to yield.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Airlines, Cruises, Buses, and Other Mass Transit Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Jackson County Tanker Truck in Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:43:22 GMT

A Jackson County truck driver caused an accident on Highway 14E that sent his truck into a ditch. The trucking accident happened east of Newport. The driver of the truck hit a PT Cruiser.

The truck traveled down the embankment and turned onto it's side trapping Schulz in the cab of the truck. He was extricated from the vehicle by EMS and transported via Air Evac to UAMS in Little Rock.

The accident caused a traffic backup on both sides of the highway. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department and Newport Fire Department responded to the accident. The accident happened on Thursday May 17th.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Truck Drivers need to Share the Road

Staff Writer — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 12:25:58 GMT

ROGERS, ARKANSAS - Imagine driving from Bentonville to Little Rock. Now imagine doing that 12,600 times in an 80,000 pound vehicle and never causing an accident or getting into a fender bender.

Wal-Mart truck driver Danny Ewell, who has logged 2.7 million miles without a preventable accident, was on hand Thursday at a safety event to help other drivers avert danger. "You actually won't be able to see that truck, even as big as it is," Ewell said as he showed how large the blind spot is when you're up in a big rig.

Most drivers on the road don't realize a truck's blind spot extends all the way to the back of the vehicle, he said. They also don't realize a truck trying to stop from 60 miles an hour will go the length of a football field before stopping. "A lot of people cut us off too quickly," he said. "They don't do it intentionally, but they don't give us enough room."

The Share the Road program, started in 1986 to prevent accidents between cars and trucks, brought drivers such as Ewell to Rogers on Thursday in the group's quest to lower the accident rate on the highway.

Ewell said since 1980, trucking miles have increased 42 percent, with a 50 percent accident fatality rate during the same period of time. "The more we educate drivers the better off weâ€™ll be," he said.

The driver said he was taught to work a tractor-trailer before he learned to operate a normal vehicle. His father would take him out to an empty parking lot as a 13-year-old and show him the ropes. Thursday, he showed a group of journalists the ropes as he navigated a big rig out of the Pleasant Crossing Wal-Mart parking lot and onto Interstate 540. "Really, people donâ€™t understand what it takes to get around this corner," he said as he tried to turn left out of the parking lot, waiting patiently as car after car cut him off.

Mike Russell, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, said Thursday the message drivers need to hear is the same as the groupâ€™s name: Share the Road.

On any given day, thereâ€™s 3 million trucks out on the road, Russell said, and drivers in passenger vehicles and in tractor-trailers need to pay attention. "As you drive youâ€™re going to be behind a truck for just a second or two, but itâ€™s important to have an idea of what could happen if you arenâ€™t aware of them," he said.

Brian Harwood, corporal with the Arkansas Highway Patrol, said in his role of investigating truck accidents, he sees all sorts of mishaps between vehicles. Several weeks ago, he said, a car tried to pass a truck on the right shoulder of the highway, then was cut off when the trucker didnâ€™t see the vehicle and took a right at the next exit.

Harwood said drivers in passenger vehicles should stay 20 to 25 car lengths behind a truck on the highway to avoid obstacles a truck might hit, but acknowledged thatâ€™s often difficult on congested freeways. "In northwest Arkansas, thatâ€™s not a reality," he said. "Rush hour, youâ€™d be lucky to get three to four car lengths."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Truck Accident Claims Man Bound For Little Rock

Staff Writer — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:59:45 GMT

A tractor trailer accident killed a Kansas man today when the semi he was driving crashed into an overpass pillar on interstate 540 in Crawford County. Armin Brandhorst, a resident of Green, KS was hauling 90 hogs to Little Rock when authorities think he fell asleep at the wheel. Troopers believe Brandhorst overcorrected when he awoke to realize his vehicle was leaving the road.

Law officers needed four hours to round up the loose hogs from Interstate 540 at Mountainburg after the crash at 6:40 a.m.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer