In the last few days, 4 people have died in 3 different accidents, all involving a semitrailer. One of the accidents involved a bicycle. The crash investigations are looking at whether speed and truck driver distraction caused the accidents. If so, the families may have wrongful death claims against the truck driver, the trucking company, the owner of the freight being hauled and others.
“Speed, illegal passing and distraction are 3 of the primary causes of accidents caused by semi truck drivers,” said attorney Eric Hageman, who recently won $4 million for a family in a wrongful death lawsuit. “It can take an enormous amount of work to gather the evidence necessary to prove that these are what caused the accident, but it is important to always do everything possible to build a winning case.”
“Some of the hardest cases are those involving a bicycle and a semitrailer,” said Eric. “The bike rider is often too injured to provide information to the police, so the truck driver’s version of the accident is what they have to go by for their preliminary investigation.” You can call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) to contact Eric or another wrongful death attorney at our law firm.
Semitrailer Crash News
Three tragic accidents resulted in the deaths of 4 people, one of them a 9-year-old boy. Our thoughts are with the families.
Was Semitrailer Driver Passing Legally?
Michigan State Police are investigating a fatal crash in Allegan County. The accident happened on Saturday, just after noon.
A westbound semitrailer was passing a pickup truck on the left when the pick up turned left into a driveway. The semi plowed into the pickup on the driver’s side.
The driver of the pickup, a 69-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Some questions that need answers:
- What were the speeds of the vehicles just prior to and during the accident?
- Did the pickup have on its blinker?
- Was the semi driver distracted while driving?
Another Fatal Bicycle Accident
A man was riding his bicycle in Chesapeake, Virginia, when he was hit and killed by a semitrailer. The accident happened at the intersection of Albemarle Drive and Cedar Road.
Details of the accident have not been released.
Multi-Vehicle Accident Results in Wrongful Death of 2 Car Passengers, 9 Others Injured
A semitrailer rear ended a vehicle that had slowed down for construction on Highway 52 north of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. That triggered a multi-vehicle crash that resulted in 2 accident wrongful deaths and 9 personal injuries.
One of the people who died was only 9. There is nothing more devastating for a parent than losing a child.
Eight of the people injured in the crash were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, a regional hospital and trauma center located in Winston-Salem.
According to the North Carolina State Patrol, 5 vehicles were heading north on Highway 52 when they had to slow for construction on a bridge and merge into one lane. As this was happening, the semitrailer, also northbound, did not slow down in time and rear ended a Honda van, which was pushed off of the road and overturned. The semi then hit a Volkswagen from behind, triggering a chain reaction involving a Ford pickup, a Nissan and a Honda car.
About Attorney Eric Hageman
Eric Hageman is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Interstate Trucking Litigation Group. This year (2014) alone he has won over $16 million for his clients. Eric focuses his practice on accident and explosion cases throughout the United States. Our offices are in Minneapolis, Minnesota.