Prosecutors are reviewing the details of a fatal highway crash that happened when a semi-truck driver turned his 18-wheeler onto a highway in front of two oncoming motorcycles. Both riders — an uncle and his nephew — died even though they were wearing DOT-approved helmets. The State Police said on its Facebook page that the Suzuki riders “could not avoid striking the tractor trailer as it entered their lane of travel.”
Prosecutors are considering whether to bring criminal charges against the truck driver in connection with this crash, which happened before Thanksgiving on Highway 14, west of U.S. 90 in Iberia Parish. The initial investigation by State Police did not find any alcohol impairment and State Police reportedly do not suspect that alcohol played a role in the crash between the two cycles and the 2007 Peterbilt tractor trailer. But the State Police said: “This crash remains under investigation with further charges forthcoming upon review by the Iberia Parish District Attorney’s Office.”
15 Percent of Large Truck Crash Fatalities are Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Motorcyclists
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 15 percent of people who die in large truck crashes are pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists. Trucks often weigh 20-30 times as much as passenger cars — let alone motorcycles — and are taller with greater ground clearance, which can result in smaller vehicles underriding trucks in crashes. A thorough investigation of the deaths will probe whether truck driver fatigue was a factor in this crash. Compounding the misery felt by family members and next of kin, the riders who died were related.
According to the DOT, drivers of large trucks are allowed by federal hours-of-service regulations to drive up to 11 hours at a stretch and up to 77 hours over a seven-day period. Surveys indicate that many drivers violate the regulations and work longer than permitted. Was the truck driver not alert? Was the truck driver distracted?
Get Legal Help
Our attorneys represent semi truck vs. motorcycle lawsuit clients, including next of kin, in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits in Minnesota. They have won millions for our clients, including more than $5,000,000 for a client who required an amputation after a motorcycle accident. Crashes involving semi trailer trucks require special investigation to consider all the legal details that surround our country’s heavy regulation of commercial truck movement and the special licensing of drivers.
Tractor trailer wrongful death litigation attempts to hold drivers of 18 wheelers to a higher duty and a higher standard of care. They are driving an enormous rig, and the damage they can cause is significant. You don’t need to be an expert to know that a motorcyclist who is in a crash with a semi truck is going to suffer life-threatening and sometimes fatal injuries. But you do need to be an expert to know how to hold trucking companies liable when something like that happens.
In our experience, trucking companies do everything in their power to minimize their liability (the amount of money they have to pay the victim of the semi truck vs. motorcycle accident). You need someone on your side who can fight to hold them accountable. If you are a Minnesota resident, contact our Twin Cities law firm for a free case consultation with a truck accident lawyer from our firm, leave your contact information online or call our office toll-free at 1-888-377-8900. No up-front fees and we don’t get paid until we win your case.
