A speeding trucker is responsible for causing a chain reaction that caused traffic to back up for hours. According to reports, the at fault semi truck driver was navigating a ramp too fast when the truck tipped onto its side and slid across the highway, blocking every lane on that side of the expressway.
After blocking all lanes, another semi truck traveling down the road crashed into the tipped semi, which caused another semi truck behind the second to attempt to swerve only to end up in a jack knife. The driver of the second truck suffered a knee fracture - amazingly, this was the only injury reported. The accident occurred on the morning of Monday, March 11th, at a little after 5am, in Indiana.
A Very Close Call
Semi trucks are inherently large, heavy pieces of machinery that can cause lots of damage when they are driven improperly. The driver of the speeding semi in the case above is lucky that his actions didn’t cause even more serious injuries or death. Had he been responsible for such damage, he would be facing much more serious legal trouble than he appears to be facing at the moment.
Drivers who are negligent or reckless in the operation of a semi truck can be found civilly liable for the injuries and deaths that their behavior causes.
Speed Isn’t the Only Factor
Excessive speed isn’t the only reason why semi trucks tip over. They can also be more likely to tip over when the load being hauled is improperly distributed and/or secured in a truck’s trailer. Improperly secured loads can shift the weight of a truck when drivers take turns, causing the truck’s balance and weight distribution to get thrown off. If too much weight is shifted to one side of the truck, even a normally safe turn can tip an entire semi, causing a situation similar to the one described above.
When an accident is caused because a driver’s load was improperly secured, it could result in civil charges not just against the driver, but also against whoever may have had a hand in loading the trailer and putting it on the road.
Important Points About Charges
In regards to civil charges, victims of injuries are prevented from bringing charges after a certain amount of time has passed. This time limit is known as a statute of limitations, and requires injury victims to file civil charges against alleged wrongdoers in a timely manner or not at all. The law allows no exceptions to statutes of limitation, so victims of injuries are instructed to ensure that they bring the proper charges against the appropriate parties the first time, otherwise, it could become impossible for the injured party to collect what he or she is entitled to at all.
Depending on the facts of a case, an injury victim may be entitled to medical expenses, property damage expenses, pain and suffering, and certain lost wage expenses if an injury prevents a victim from working. An attorney will be able to review the facts of a case in more detail to determine exactly who should be held accountable and what types of damages the victim would be justified in pursuing.
