Blog: Truck Accidents

Tired truckers find relief in parking app

Jul 30, 2016

Willie Nelson couldn't wait to get back on the road again. But for truckers who just logged a long day behind the wheel, sometimes all they want is a parking spot. Increasingly a good parking spot is hard to find for truckers. When they can find one, they must either continue to drive while fatigued until they find one, or else park on an off ramp, along the side of a highway or even in...

Truck accident fatalities increased in 2015

Jul 13, 2016

According to data collected in a report by the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of fatalities resulting from truck crashes increased by 4 percent between 2014 and 2015. Overall traffic deaths increased over the same time period by 7.7 percent. While the reasons for the increase in fatalities are still unclear, the report also cited data from the Federal Highway Administration (FWHA) showing that drivers traveled 3.5 percent more miles in 2015 than...

Electronic logging devices aim to prevent falsified records

Mar 29, 2016

As of December 2017, all commercial truck drivers who currently use paper logs to track their time will be required to make the switch to electronic logging devices (ELDs). The move is intended to cut down on driver fatigue by more accurately tracking the number of hours that drivers spend on the road, and preventing log falsification that could contribute to serious injuries on the road. Traditional paper logs have been so easy to falsify...

“Chameleon” trucking companies responsible for many injuries and deaths

Feb 26, 2016

A trucking company from Wake Forest, NC called Elite Freight Systems went out of business in 2009 because it was experiencing problems on the road. It soon came back as Elite Freight Systems, Incorporated and received a brand new company driving number from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. After poorly performing for several more years, the company's owner decided to change the name again, this time to Spurlin Trucking. But after some investigating, the...

Not all jackknife accidents stem from driver error

Feb 26, 2016

Trucks that jackknife can cause some of the most frightening and potentially damaging accidents on the road. The sheer weight of trucks alone, compared to the weight of cars and other vehicles, should inspire caution in other drivers, even under the best conditions. But when the back end of an 18-wheeler starts to move in a different direction from the cab, the possibility of a catastrophic accident becomes that much greater. There are certain circumstances...

Unknown and known in tractor-trailer crashes

Nov 14, 2015

The coverage of the recent crash involving a tractor-trailer and a pick-up was scant. Just one Pennsylvania TV station covered the deadly collision and its report lasted just a few seconds. Media interest in these violent events is limited, though a few familiar details emerged in this case. The driver of the pick-up died in the early morning crash, trapped inside what remained of his mangled vehicle. He was 66 years old. The brief video...

Insurers sometimes stonewall large retailers, too

Nov 1, 2015

Individuals aren't the only ones who have trouble getting insurance companies to pay after an accident. The retail giant Walmart recently sued two of its insurers–Liberty Insurance Underwriters and Ohio Casualty Insurance– for breach of contract and bad faith after the two insurers declined to pay their share for the settlement to Tracy Morgan following last summer's accident. The crash seriously injured Morgan and killed fellow comedian James McNair when sleep-deprived Walmart truck driver Kevin...

Driving too fast for conditions?

Aug 18, 2015

The thunder rolled from a memorial to benefit the daughters of a paramedic who lost her life in the line of duty earlier this year, according to a WJAC report. Two hundred motorcyclists rode in a show of support for the 38-year-old who earlier this year was struck by a coal truck as she helped at the scene of a car accident to the east of Pittsburgh. The Upper Yoder Township fatal accident was the...

Route 65 truck accident claims two lives

Aug 11, 2015

A truck driver told a Pittsburgh TV station that an Audi driver made a fatal decision on Route 65 near the I-79 interchange. The trucker said the northbound Audi tried to pass him on the left. Just went straight into oncoming traffic while she was going around me," he told WTAE. The car slammed head-on into a southbound tractor-trailer. The big rig erupted in flames which set fire to a transit van. The Audi then...

Will bigger rigs roll over Pennsylvania and Ohio?

Jul 29, 2015

The biggest vehicles rolling on Pennsylvania and Ohio highways are tractor-trailers. The behemoths could get significantly bigger if Congress has its way. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed a measure and sent it on to the Senate that would enable trucking companies to roll 85-foot double tractor-trailers across America. The giant new trucks would be 17 feet longer than those currently allowed on Pennsylvania roads. Naturally, shipping companies are excited about the prospect,...