Washington Personal Injury Blog - Tractor-Trailer Accidents

Truck accidents on the rise

Don Jacobs — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:53:02 GMT

A news release from US Newswire recently disclosed that thousands of trucking companies regularly violate federal safety regulations. Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was analyzed. Examples of the violations included inadequate insurance, bald tires, defective brakes and loads that dangerously exceed weight limits. Drivers with little or no training and drivers with a history of drug and alcohol dependency were also cited. The data is alarming. These vehicles share the road with every on of us. Drivers falsifying log books to show they haven’t been on the road too long with lack of sleep has always been a problem. So has the practice of trucking companies pushing drivers to do deliver loads quicker to maximize profit. Truckers know if they don’t cut corners, the company will hire someone who will. And independent operators make more money the more loads they pick up and deliver. Working long hours, ignoring speed limits and driving when fatigued are all common factors cited in semi truck accidents. So how many unsafe trucks are on the road? The FMCSA data on safety records and performance of American trucking companies revealed the violations involved over 200,000 trucks currently being operated on the highways. The data also revealed that over 4,000 people die every year and over 80,000 are seriously injured in accidents involving trucks. And the vast majority of people killed and injured are not the truck drivers. The victims are the drivers and passengers of the cars they hit. Though trucks make up less than 4 percent of all vehicles on the road, they are involved in 12 percent of all traffic fatalities. While the number of unsafe trucks on the road is alarming, the numbers cited by the FMCSA are likely just the tip of the iceberg. Many deadly accidents involving unsafe trucks are not recorded as safety violations. In 2005, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study that showed nearly one third of trucking accidents the states are required to report to the federal government were never reported. In 2009 a GAO study found that more than 1,000 trucking companies that were ordered to close due to safety violations, simply reopened under a different name, often with the same owner, same company address and the same drivers. The federal data from the FMCSA ranked states that had trucking companies with violations of safety requirements above the national average. Unfortunately, Oregon was one of them. A listing of trucking companies operating in violation of federal safety standards can be found at www.justice.org/trucksafetyviolations.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Don Jacobs

Unsafe truckers becoming more of a problem on the highways

Don Jacobs — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:25:23 GMT

Maybe it’s because of the ever increasing price of diesel or just the economy in general, but whenever times get tough trucking companies cut corners. Unfortunately, this means safety is compromised. Unsafe commercial trucks on the highways has always been a problem. Truck drivers trying to push the envelope of safety to get the load delivered quickly often results in tragedy. Truck drivers are required to keep accurate logbooks of their road activities. They are also rules governing how long they can be on the road without sleep. They are required to obtain medical certificates verifying their health doesn’t compromise their ability to operate large dangerous vehicles. The rules are often violated. Logbooks are forged. Some drivers turn to drugs to keep them alert. As a result of a horrible highway accident in New Orleans that killed 22 people, in 2003 the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made eight important safety recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The recommendations were designed to keep medically unfit commercial truck drivers off the road. A study found that it’s so easy to obtain fake medical certificates to operate commercial trucks and buses that there is little incentive for operators to obtain legitimate papers. The tragedy in New Orleans involved a driver who was suffering from life threatening kidney and heart conditions but still held a valid license and medical certificate. Other collisions have been caused by truckers experiencing seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells while driving. Forgery of medical certificates is so commonplace that no one even seems to care. The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) disclosed that 563,000 commercial drivers with valid certificates were determined by the Veterans Affairs Department or the Social Security Administration to also be eligible for full disability benefits because of poor health. So far federal regulators are still sitting on implementing all of the recommended rules. In the meantime, the rest of us should be very concerned about that 18 wheeler next to us on the freeway.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Don Jacobs

Womens Legs Almost Cut Off In Accident

Glenn Phillips — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:41:46 GMT

A pedestrian's legs were nearly severed when a man crashed into the two parked cars surrounding her Saturday night, police said. A woman who was pinned between both vehicles involved in the crash had her legs nearly severed from the impact. The woman was standing between two parked cars on North Chautauqua Boulevard just before 5:30 p.m. when a pickup truck struck the car behind her. The impact sandwiched Smith between two vehicles and crushed her legs, police said. Police think the driver of the pick up truck that started the accident may have been high on drugs when he veered off the road and struck the parked cars. Authorities have not elaborated on the patients' conditions at the hospital, except to say that Smith's legs were almost cut off in the accident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Glenn Phillips

Driver Killed When a Waste Disposal Truck Rolls Over Him

Glenn Phillips — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:58:04 GMT

In Edmonds this morning, a driver of a Waste Disposal Truck died when apparently the truck had rolled over him.

Edmonds police are investigating the accident, which occurred at 8:17 a.m. in the 9100 block of 184th Street Southwest. The driver for Allied Waste -- a 29-year-old from Bothell -- died at the scene, said Edmonds police Sgt. Don Anderson.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Glenn Phillips

Two Pedestrians were Injured on Alaskan Way Crosswalk After Being Hit by a Pickup Driver

Glenn Phillips — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:08:58 GMT

On Friday afternoon on June 22nd, two men were injured when a driver of a pickup truck hit them while they were crossing the Alaskan Way marked crosswalk, according to Seattle Police and Fire Officials.

The pair were hit as they attempted to cross the street in the 2000 block of Alaskan Way around 12:20 p.m., said Seattle fire Lt. Sue Stangl. One man was critically hurt and the other suffered serious injuries; both were taken to Harborview Medical Center.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Glenn Phillips

One Dies, as a Truck Plows into Pedestrians

Glenn Phillips — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:54:45 GMT

During rush-hour a frightening collision happened that left seven pedestrians injured and one killed, as a truck drove straight into them that left victims scattered all around on Northeast Bothell Way on Tuesday.

"I was trying to count" the victims for the 911 operator, said Pete Mahler, who said he was stopped at the light at the Kenmore intersection when the collision occurred just after 3 p.m.
A work truck plowed into the crowd of people on the sidewalk after colliding with a front-loader tractor. The truck then smashed into a traffic-light pole at 73rd Avenue Northeast and Northeast Bothell Way.

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

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Glenn Phillips

Driver Killed as an Apple Truck Crashes into the Skykomish River

Glenn Phillips — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:58:35 GMT

In the Skykomish River three miles east of Index, an Apple Truck drove into the river and divers found the body in the cab. The truck spilled its load of apples and cherries into the water.

The truck was westbound on Highway 2 around 11 p.m. when the driver crashed through a concrete barrier and plummeted 150 feet down a steep embankment, said Trooper Kirk Rudeen. Both the truck and its trailer were completely submerged. Though no one witnessed the crash, another driver called 911 after seeing debris littered across the roadway a short time later, he said.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Trailor-Tractor Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Glenn Phillips

Truck Accident Closes Road

Glenn Phillips — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 10:36:35 GMT

Novelty Hill Road between Redmond and Duvall was closed last Tuesday after a siding truck crashed off the road and onto a steep hill the truck slid before coming to a stop 20 feet down.

"The accident took place about 9:15 a.m. as the eastbound flatbed truck was descending a steep, winding section of the road near West Snoqualmie Valley Road Northeast, went out of control and rolled off the right shoulder"

The driver was covered in diesel fuel so the rescue was hard to execute. The driver only suffered a broken pelvis and cuts on his head. He was expected to make a full recovery.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Glenn Phillips

Family Files Truck Accident Lawsuit

Glenn Phillips — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 12:53:42 GMT

The family of a Tyson Foods employee who was killed in a trucking accident when he collided head-on with a tractor trailer has filed a lawsuit against Koliha Trucking.

Jeffrey Gronenthal died at the scene of an accident that occurred in the midst of a blinding snowstorm about 9 a.m. three-quarters of a mile west of the junction of highways 81 and 91, according to information released at the time by the Platte County Sheriff's Department.
The crash occurred during the height of the snowstorm when Gronenthal collided head-on with a semi-tractor trailer driven by Bryan Koliha of Schuyler. Koliha was treated for minor injuries after being transported by Humphrey Rescue Squad to Columbus Community Hospital.

The lawsuit accuses the truck's driver of failing to keep the vehicle under proper control and failing to maintain a safe rate of speed under hazardous conditions.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Glenn Phillips