The Sac County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol and Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement are investigating a semi truck crash that claimed the life of 65-year old Sharon Irene Rohlf of Odebolt, Iowa. She was pronounced dead at the scene and others, including her husband, Gary Wayne Rohlf, were taken to the hospital with injuries. They were only 10 miles from home, in heavy fog, when the big truck entered their lane.
Officials reported that the tractor trailer on Highway 175 attempted to pass a vehicle to its front even though fog had reduced visibility to near zero. During the attempted pass, the semi struck head-on into the Rohlf’s oncoming pickup truck and a car slammed into the pickup from behind.
The driver of the tractor trailer was identified as Ivan Milosevic, 24, of Chicago. The accident happened at 8:24 a.m. on December 24, a little more than a mile west of Lake View, Iowa.
Of the five people who were hospitalized, two were subsequently transported to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City for treatment of critical injuries. The Lake View Police, Lake View Fire, Wall Lake Fire and Lake View Emergency Medical Services all assisted at the scene.
Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman investigate wrongful death crashes involving commercial trucks for victims of those collisions and next of kin. Contact them online for a free case consultation or call toll-free to speak to them in their offices at 1-888-377-8900. Fred and Eric have recovered tens of millions for clients in semi truck lawsuits that hold drivers and trucking companies accountable under highway safety regulations. Tractor trailer litigation has its place in transportation law when drivers put other motorists in peril, resulting in wrongful death.
In the tragic Rohlf crash near Lake View, Iowa, officials reported conditions of dense fog. Yet the semi driver was attempting to pass another vehicle on a two-lane highway in hazardous conditions, according to the accident report. As experienced semi truck accident lawyers, Fred and Eric have reconstructed many crash scenes to express who was at fault. Their work on behalf of clients also has uncovered unsafe and illegal driving practices, including equipment violations and disregard for driving time limits behind the wheel.
Professional drivers who practice safety in handling large trucks should understand and respect the hazards and limitations of operating in fog. When cases go to court, the strategy of some trucking companies has been to deny that the truck driver was at fault. That’s when it counts to have experienced legal representation — lawyers who have the resolve and skill to press for full accountability.
