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A tractor-trailer driver that was blamed for a deadly truck crash that killed a woman from Spotsylvania County, Virginia will be charged in the accident. The Virginia State Police reported this week that the 62-year-old truck driver from Georgia will be charged with involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor reckless driving after he leaves the hospital. 

The man was driving a big rig tractor without the trailer on Route 3 near I-95 on Nov. 2 when the truck slammed into vehicles that had stopped for a red light at the intersection of Gateway Boulevard. There was no evidence at the scene that the truck driver had even tried to brake.

A total of six motor vehicles were involved in the fatal truck crash. A 54 year-0ld woman was killed at the scene, and several others were injured. One is in critical condition.

Virginia Personal Injury Attorney View

Truck driver negligence is a serious threat to public safety in Virginia. Truck accidents often are the fault of the truck driver. Sometimes, truck accidents are attributable to weather conditions or poor maintenance. In other cases, distracted driving is often the reason. The fact that the truck driver in this Virginia crash did not even hit the brakes indicates that he was completely not paying attention to the road.

What are the biggest reasons that truck drivers get distracted? Our Virginia truck accident attorneys have seen crashes caused by the following:

  • Truck operation interfaces: Operating a truck safely involves using a lot of controls and interfaces. The truck driver has been trained to do this, but sometimes the trucker is overwhelmed by the task of using two reverse and 10 forward gears, among other complexities of operating a truck. But any trucker with a CDL should know how to operate their rig without being distracted.
  • Sleepiness: Truck drivers have financial incentive to drive far beyond when they should and are legally allowed. It is very common for truckers to simply fall asleep. Even just closing one’s eyes for a few seconds at highway speed can cause a fatal accident.
  • Cell phones: Using a cell phone is illegal for truck drivers while the rig is in motion, but it is still very common.

As Virginia truck accident lawyers, we work on cases that involve terrible injuries due to negligent truck drivers. We once settled a traumatic brain injury case involving two children for $5.5 million, and we sincerely hope that we never see truck drivers engaging in that type of negligent driving behavior again.

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