Truck Accident Lawyer Blog : Houston Truck Accident Lawyer & Attorney : Arnold & Itkin Law Firm : 18-wheeler injuries, semi accidents : Texas, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso

A New Hampshire man traveling around the country in a horse drawn wagon sustained serious injuries in a Mississippi 18-wheeler accident.

According to reports, 49-year-old Bob Skelding was riding a home-built recreational wagon atop a hill on Highway 45 in Mississippi. Two 18-wheelers were traveling side by side crested on the same hill when one of the big rigs hit Skelding's wagon. The 7,700 lb wagon was built from scratch and was designed much like an RV, complete with a fully outfitted kitchen, a full sized bed, hot and cold water, and other modern conveniences. The wagon was completely destroyed in the accident, Skelding was admitted to the hospital and is, reportedly, in serious condition.

Skelding set off on his custom built wagon on July 28th from Dearfield. He traveled through several states in his wagon drawn by 4 Percheron horses, two of which were killed in the accident. Now, Skelding is focusing on getting back on his feet. Local communities in Macon, Mississippi are setting up fundraising drives for Skelding's expenses as well as the treatment costs for the two surviving horses.

The exact cause of the accident will be revealed only after an investigation is complete, which could take months. Investigators will probably look into the driving behavior of the two truck drivers in the moments before the crash. They will likely probe whether the tractor trailers were speeding or racing at the time of the accident and whether this caused one of them to lose control and smash into Skelding's wagon. Police have already concluded Skelding was ejected from the front seat during the accident. According to officials, it is legal to drive horse drawn vehicles on a highway in Mississippi.

Truck Accident Lawsuits

Speeding, reckless overtaking and tail gating are dangerous in a passenger car; such driver negligence in an 18-wheeler, however, is only amplified and can cause serious and even fatal injuries to those around. In order to determine liability for the accident, a truck accident lawyer will likely conduct his own investigations into the drivers' conduct as well as the trucking companies' safety records.

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a big rig accident, contact an 18-wheeler accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free consultation.

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A Delaware woman suffered injuries in an 18-wheeler accident on February 5th when her car was rear ended by a big rig.

The woman was stopped at a red light, in her Mazda, when an 18-wheeler rear ended her. The impact of the accident pushed the Mazda approximately 90 feet from the point of impact, causing minor injuries. The 18-wheeler, meanwhile, traveled more then 300 feet after the crash before it finally came to stop. The New Jersey driver was not injured in the accident and has been cited for following too closely. Investigations in the accident continue, the exact cause of the accident will be released later, however, it appears that the driver was being reckless in following the vehicle too closely and possibly, driving too fast for traffic conditions. Speed limits for 18-wheelers are often lower than speed limits for other vehicles because big rigs are more difficult to maneuver and stop in the event of an emergency. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries in this accident, but the scene would have been entirely different if there had been passengers in the back seat of the car. In a situation like this, most of the impact would have been absorbed by the back seat passengers, possibly leading to serious injuries and even death. 

Truck Driver Negligence

Driving above the speed limit, or at speeds inappropriate for traffic or weather conditions, is one type of driver negligence. A big rig driver is required, not only to maintain speed limits, but also slow down when he approaches a congested spot, a stop sign etc. Other forms of poor driving behavior that can contribute to an 18-wheeler accident are tailgating or following a vehicle too closely, drifting between lanes, and other forms of reckless driving.

Claims in an 18-wheeler accident can include not only the driver, but also the trucking company that employs the driver. An 18-wheeler accident lawyer can help you recover the compensation you deserve.

If you have been injured in an accident with a big rig, contact an 18-wheeler accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your case.

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The driver of an 18-wheeler in Chester County, South Carolina fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his big rig into a wooded area. All involved managed to escape with no injuries.

The driver, Robert Cummings, was on Interstate 77 when it seems he nodded off at the wheel. The18-wheeler veered off the highway and into the woods, slamming into a bridge and cutting through brush. The truck also hit a few trees before finally coming to a halt in a pasture. Cummings appeared to be in a state of shock after the accident and was taken to the hospital and later released. Firefighters who arrived at the scene of the accident say he is extremely fortunate to have escaped with no serious injuries. The truck was not carrying hazardous material and luckily there was no oil spillage. Cummings, meanwhile, has been charged with driving too fast for existing conditions.

It is extremely fortunate that there were no other vehicles involved in accident and that no serious injuries resulted. Chances of surviving with minor injuries in an accident where an 80,000 pound 18-wheeler is out of control are slim at best.  A new federal rule mandating the number of hours a truck driver can work consecutively came into action in January this year. It increases the number of work hours a trucker can drive consecutively from the previous 10 to 11 hours. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's rule mandates a 10 hour rest period before the start of a 14 day work period, with no more than 11 consecutive hours of driving. Truck safety proponents and truck accident lawyers have long argued for a return to the older 10-hour rule, because of the risk of fatigued drivers dozing off at the wheel and causing accidents. The rules also have implementation issues that need to be sorted out, for instance, it is a fact in the industry that drivers manipulate log books in order to work longer hours. The more hours a driver works, the more he earns; but this frequent illegal action has not been taken into consideration by the new rule. 

18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer

Damages in an accident caused by driver fatigue can be claimed from the driver's trucking company. In order to place responsibility for the accident on the fatigue factor, an 18-wheeler accident lawyer will have to inspect the company's log books. The far-too-common practice of maintaining two separate log books – one official and the "real" one – must be ruled out before driver fatigue can be eliminated as a factor in the accident. 

If you have been injured in an 18-wheeler accident, contact an 18-wheeler accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free consultation.

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The driver of an 18-wheeler has been sentenced to 364 days in jail for killing 3 children when his big rig crashed into a mini-van on a California freeway in 2007.

The driver, Jorge Miguel Romero was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter in August 2008 after the horrific big rig crash that killed Kyle, Emma and Katie Coble. The accident took place on the I-5 freeway as the children rode in the back seat of the vehicle. Traffic had slowed down and the mini-van stopped in line waiting for the line vehicles to move ahead. Romero, who was approaching the stalled traffic, was unable to stop in time and his big rig crashed into the Coble's mini-van. The 3 siblings, all under the age of 5 were killed; their mother and grandmother, the front seat passengers, sustained minor injuries. 

In the days and weeks after the 18-wheeler accident, the local Ladera Ranch community and the Cobles have pushed for changes in the trucking industry. Investigations of the accident revealed inaccuracies and inconsistencies in fleet inspection records maintained at the trucking company that employed Romero. During the trial, his defense lawyers claimed his accident was the result of Romero not being able to stop in time to avoid the mini-van. The judge was willing to buy that explanation, especially because Romero had been working more than the stipulated number of hours in the days before the accident. Romero admitted that he had fabricated his company log books in order to work more than the hour allowance. However, the judge also believed that particular stretch of freeway was one Romero used often, and that he should have been aware of any problem spots ahead.  Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, was also faulted by Romero’s lawyer for ignoring calls for an additional lane at the Oso parkway off-ramp. An extra lane could have helped unclog the freeway and prevented this accident.  The Cobles, have filed a lawsuit against the trucking company and Caltrans.

It definitely appears that there was negligence by more than one party here - the driver who was negligent by driving at an unsafe speed, considering he was driving at a known problem spot, the trucking company that turned a blind eye to manipulation of the log books, and Caltrans for failing to construct an additional lane, thereby contributing to an unsafe road design. Very often, truck accidents are the result of a number of factors, all coming together to contribute to a devastating accident. In such cases, each party can be held accountable for negligence that contributed to the accident.

Pursuing Truck Accident Claims

The truck accident lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP have expertise in litigating damages claims related to 18-wheeler accidents, and have the resources necessary to pursue claims against truck drivers, state and local agencies, trucking companies and other parties that may have been responsible for the accident.

If you have sustained injuries in a big rig accident, contact an 18-wheeler accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP to discuss possible compensation.

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In an early morning accident in Baton Rouge, Florida, an 18-wheeler attempted to make a turn onto the interstate and rolled off the onramp; fortunately there were no injuries. 

The driver attempted to turn onto I-110 from Florida Boulevard, miscalculated the turn, and fell off the ramp. Fortunately, because of the early morning hours, there were no vehicles in the area the big rig landed. No injuries have been reported. Fuel from the 18-wheeler, however, did spill onto the road; crews performed an emergency clean up of the area. There is no detailed information on the causes of the accident. 

As truck accident attorneys, we constantly come across cases in which driver negligence contributes to a collision. No matter what the conditions of the road; weather conditions, time of day or night, or the kind of traffic around, a truck driver must exercise great precaution while operating a vehicle. Due to its massive size and weight, an 18-wheeler is difficult to navigate and requires specialized techniques when backing up and turning. For instance, a big rig requires a large turning radius which must be accounted for, by the driver, when making the turn.  Even a minor miscalculation can result in catastrophe. In this particular accident, there seems to have been a miscalculation when defining the turning radius. In a case like this, it is also prudent to assess the driver's fatigue level at the time of the accident. Drivers who work long hours without adequate rest may be prone to making such mistakes.

It is fortunate that this accident did not result in any injuries or casualties. If there had been any vehicles in the area when the big rig rolled off the ramp, the resulting injuries could have been catastrophic.

Truck Accident Litigation

Pursuing damages claims in a truck accident can be an intensive process requiring the conduct of independent investigations to ascertain responsibility for the accident. At Arnold & Itkin LLP, our truck accident lawyers have years of expertise and experience litigating successful big rig accident lawsuits around the country. 

If you or a loved one has been injured in a big rig accident, contact an 18-wheeler attorney at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free consultation.

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The dangers posed by speeding 18-wheelers were brought home to a Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana family, when a 70-year-old man was killed in an accident involving a semi truck on December 8^th. Police are still investigating the causes of the accident.

According to this report, Dorris Morris was driving north on I-49, when his Toyota Camry was rear ended by the 18-wheeler. The impact drove both vehicles off the road and into a tree. The semi truck ended up on top of the Toyota. Morris was declared dead at the scene of the accident. The driver of the 18-wheeler, Lorenzo Hurst, was ticketed for careless operations, and toxicology tests were conducted.

Investigations will eventually point to the causes of the accident, and how much at fault Hurst was in this crash. Unfortunately, all too often, 18-wheeler drivers work long hours, and are under tremendous pressure to deliver loads. This leads to drivers navigating highways at unsafe speeds, and driving aggressively to fill their log books for the day.  Besides truck driver fatigue, there may be other reasons for truck accidents like alcohol and drug use or speeding, which become monumentally more dangerous behaviors when it’s the driver at the helm of an 18-wheeler you're talking about. Poor maintenance and faulty repairs of trucks, which typically run for thousands of miles a year, and use of poor quality or defective parts in the truck can also cause malfunctions that lead to serious accidents.

Anytime an 18-wheeler is involved in an accident with another vehicle the consequences can be catastrophic for the driver of the smaller car. When a tractor trailer of the size that was involved in this accident ends up on top of a car, there's precious little hope that the driver and passengers inside will survive the crushing impact. Passenger cars are built and tested to withstand the impact of other cars of their size. They have little protection when they are involved in an 18-wheeler collision. 

In 2007, close to 413,000 large trucks were involved in accidents in the country, and a total of 4,808 people were killed in these. A large majority of the fatalities–close to 80 percent – were driving or sitting in the other vehicle. It's just an example of how poor the odds of survival are for drivers or passengers involved in an accident with these massive trucks.

Truck Accident Litigation Can be a Long and Expensive Process

Proving liability when you've been involved in an 18-wheeler accident is a lengthy process. Unlike in a passenger car accident, there is more than just the truck driver who may be liable. A trucking company may provide inadequate driver training and poor record keeping, the company that manufactured the truck, any company that was involved in the maintenance and repairs of the truck etc. All these potential factors have to be investigated to isolate the cause and liability for the accident.

That’s why pursuing civil litigation in an 18-wheeler crash requires the expertise of specialized 18 wheeler accident lawyers who litigate these types of cases regularly. A general accident lawyer may not have access to the investigative resources that a truck accident lawsuit requires. If you've been injured or lost a loved one in an 18-wheeler accident, contact an experienced truck accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your case.

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