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A 2014 Kenworth tractor trailer rear ended a Volkswagen on Route 58 in Greensville County on Dec. 31, Virginia, causing the car to veer off the road and slam into a tree.

 

The front seat passenger, Sandra Kennedy, 61,  in the VW was seriously injured and taken to VCU Medical Center. She later died from her injuries. The tractor trailer driver has been charged with reckless driving. Virginia State Police reported that the speed limit in the area was 45 MPH, and witnesses reported that the truck driver was speeding.

Our View

As holders of a commerical driver’s license, tractor trailer drivers have an obligation to put public safety above all other concerns when they are driving their rigs. They should always drive at or under the speed limit. As noted in the Virginia CDL manual, they also need to always look far ahead on the road to check for obstacles or slowed traffic. The truck driver certainly should have seen that the VW was driving slower than he was. Yet, he rear ended the car hard enough to send it off the road into a tree.

Families who lose their loved one in a tractor trailer crash are always devastated. It is a horrible situation that we as tractor trailer accident attorneys have seen much too often in Virginia. The pain is often compounded by the fact that the deceased may have been a breadwinner with dependents. Not only is the family dealing with the devastating emotional loss: The truck accident and death can also case severe financial hardship.

That is why we recommend that Virginia families who have lost a loved one in an accident due to the possible negligent actions of another driver should consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit. When the negligent party is a truck driver, the trucking company employer has significant insurance mandated by federal law that can be tapped in a lawsuit to pay for damages proved.

We recently represented a grieving family whose loved one, a truck driver, died in a Virginia sideswiping accident on I-95. We were able to get that family a $2.25 million settlement. Those funds will help to ensure that the family will be provided for in the coming years.

 

 

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