A fatal accident between two tractor trailers on April 5 is being investigated by the Virginia State Police. News reports state the crash happened in Smyth County on I-81 when one truck going north did not brake for traffic that had slowed in a work zone.
The truck rear ended another truck, went off the road and caught on fire. That truck driver died at the scene. The other truck driver also suffered minor injuries.
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One of the most common causes of truck crashes today is distracted driving. Our Virginia truck accident attorneys do not know the cause of the above crash, but the fact that the crash happened in daylight hours suggests that visibility probably was not a major factor in the crash.
One of the biggest reasons that distracted driving kills drivers and passengers every year in big rigs and other vehicles is cell phones. According to federal law, all truck drivers are prohibited from texting and driving. The rule passed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration outlaws truckers from even reaching for or holding a cell phone to have a voice communication while driving.
Our personal injury attorneys recommend that truck drivers do everything they can to ensure they are not distracted when they are driving their truck. All truckers should put their mobile phone in a place where it cannot be reached during driving. Also, if you want to use a hands free cell phone, you should use the speaker phone function or an earpiece.
If you are caught texting and driving or talking on a cell phone in your hand while driving a truck, you can be fined up to $2750. Also, if you are in an accident and injure or kill another person, you can be put in prison and even sued in civil court.
Our truck accident attorneys settled a truck crash case several years ago for $2.4 million where the truck driver changed lanes but miscalculated the distance between his rig and the car in front of him. Our attorneys worked with the family and encouraged them to speak to grief counselors, so it could be shown in court the huge loss they suffered personally with the death of their loved one.
