North Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Blog

In an effort to prevent motor carrier safety violations on state highways, the North Carolina Highway Patrol will be conducting Operation Road Watch on I-77 in Mecklenburg County for the next two days. Highway troopers are hoping to limit the number of semi-truck crashes along the corridor. Not only are they checking 18-wheeler truckers for aggressive truck drivers, but also they are looking for hazmat violations and unsecured loads.

Tractor-trailer violations can prove dangerous not just for the trucker but also for others on the road. In 2009, North Carolina state troopers investigated 5,577 of the 8,641 North Carolina motor carrier vehicle crashes that occurred. 98 fatalities and 1,839 injuries resulted from these collisions.

Police believe their efforts through Operation Road Watch will decrease the number of deadly North Carolina semi-truck crashes while also limiting the traffic congestion can occur when a large truck accident happens. Drivers that operate their vehicles aggressively when around tractor-trailers, speeders, aggressive drivers, and tailgaters will also receive tickets. This is the first campaign to concentrate only on commercial vehicle violations. Operation Road Watch will be going to other counties later in the year.

Our Charlotte, North Carolina truck accident law firm represent clients in North Carolina and South Carolina. We cannot stress enough how important it is to explore your legal options as soon as possible.

Just last week, 35-year-old Joshua Charles Woodrow died when the tanker he was driving was involved in a South Carolina tanker truck accident on I-77 and exploded. The truck which is owned by MTM Transportation and was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline, rolled onto its side, struck the sedan, and burst into flames.

Trucks being checked on I-77, Salisbury Post, August 24, 2010

Survivor of fiery wreck: 'We got in the road and it exploded,' WMBF News, August 16, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

State Highway Patrol

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association

A Union County, North Carolina truck accident has claimed the lives of Fayetteville teen Mishawn Miller and Greensboro teen Arielle Parker, both age 18.The two incoming Wingate University freshmen were heading to a ropes challenge course on Saturday morning when, according to police, Miller failed to halt at a stop sign on Old Pageland Monroe Road. His vehicle was hit on the driver’s side by a grain truck.

Miller and Parker, who was sitting in the backseat, were killed instantly. Seriously injured in the North Carolina car accident was 18-year-old Charlotte resident Marcelle Louba, who was sitting behind Miller. 19-year-old Kendric Reid, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, sustained minor injuries. The teenagers were traveling in a caravan of other students who were taking part in an academic enrichment program for students about to begin their freshman year at the university.

The grain truck driver, 52-year-old Elberbe resident Carlon Watkins, also sustained minor injuries. The grain truck that he was driving had a similar dimension and weight as a dump truck.

According to neighbors in the area, although a flashing red light has been installed at the intersection where the Union County, North Carolina car accident happened, more needs to be done to prevent future traffic accidents. Visibility can be poor there, which can make it hard for motorists to see approaching vehicles. Some have even called for the installation of a traffic light. Although the Department of Transportation received a petition for a light that was signed by hundreds, it denied the request saying that not enough traffic traveled through the intersection.

There are steps that you can take to protecting your right to financial recovery for injuries sustained during a Wingate car accident.

Wingate To Hold Memorial For Students Killed In Crash, WSOCTV, August 16, 2010

2 incoming Wingate University freshmen killed in wreck, Charlotte Observer, August 15, 2010

Related Web Resources:
North Carolina Department of Transportation

Wingate University

Continue reading "Union County, North Carolina Car Accident Involving Grain Truck Kills Two Incoming Wingate University Students " »

Albert Arnott is dead. The Plymouth local, who couldn’t walk but was able to ride a bicycle across the US, sustained fatal injuries when he was struck by a pickup truck while riding his recumbent machine on US Highway 61. The North Carolina truck accident happened on July 31.

Arnott, 60, became disabled during a work accident nearly two decades ago when he fell from a tree while landscaping. He sustained a traumatic brain injury and lost his ability to walk. However, that didn’t stop him from training himself to walking on crutches and cycle.

The driver of the pickup truck, 30-year-old Justin Mark Keaton, says he did not see Arnott. This week, Keaton was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

North Carolina Pedalcyclist Accidents
It is so important for drivers to remember that they share the road with pedalcyclists. North Carolina bicycle accidents do claim lives and often, the motorist that struck the rider can be charged with a crime even though he/she never intended to hurt anyone. He/she can also become the defendant of a North Carolina personal injury case.

In another recent North Carolina bicycle accident, Linda Sink is charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed because she accidentally struck two cyclists with her car last month in Stokes County. Police say that she wasn’t paying attention—an allegation that she disputes.

Killed in this North Carolina traffic crash was 62-year-old Donald Sunday. The other rider, 62-year-old Barry Leonard, suffered a broken pelvis.

How drivers can avoid hitting bicyclists:

• Obey traffic laws
• Don’t speed
• Don’t drive drunk
• Don’t talk text while driving
• Watch out for cyclists
• Be carefully when passing a bicyclist

Truck driver is charged in cyclist's death on U.S. 601, Winston-Salem Journal, August 6, 2010

Native cyclist killed in N.C. wreck, Citizens Voice, August 4, 2010

Driver Charged In Fatal Wreck Involving Bicyclists, Digitriad, July 28, 2010

A bicyclist's death, Winston-Salem Journal, July 28, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, North Carolina Department of Transportation

Bicycle Safety and Access, University of NC Highway Safety Research Center

Continue reading "Disabled Plymouth Cyclist Killed in North Carolina Truck Accident" »

A multi-vehicle crash involving two tractor-trailers that took place at around 11 pm last night has left three people with injuries. The Charlotte, North Carolina semi-truck crash took place on Interstate 85.

According to police, one tractor-trailer crashed into another auto as the trucker attempted to change lanes. The second auto was shoved off the road where it struck a guardrail before reentering traffic and getting hit by another semi-truck. Meantime, the large truck that started the chain reaction hit another vehicle, which also struck a guardrail before careening back into traffic, and then drove off the ramp and jackknifed into a ditch.

One person sustained serious injuries. Two other truck crash victims suffered minor injuries.

Our Charlotte, North Carolina tractor-trailer crash attorneys know how stressed out you must feel to have been involved in or have a love one who has sustained serious injuries from a truck crash. That said, it is still important that you begin exploring your legal options as soon as possible.

Wednesday’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg County semi-truck accident wasn’t the only recent Charlotte, North Carolina multi-vehicle accident to result in injuries. Six people got hurt today during another Charlotte, North Carolina car accident on Central Avenue.

6 hurt in Central wreck, Charlotte Observer, July 22, 2010

3 Injured In Overnight I-85 Accident, WSOCTV, July 22, 2010

Related Web Resources:
North Carolina Department of Transportation

Trucking Accidents, Nolo

Continue reading "Charlotte, North Carolina Tractor-Trailer Crash on Interstate 85 Injures Three" »

The 12 people that were injured in a July 1 North Carolina truck-bus accident on Interstate 85 close to the Gaston/Mecklenburg County line are recovering from their injuries. The North Carolina bus accident happened when the bus rear-ended a tractor-trailer that was stopped behind another truck, causing a rear-end collision between the two trucks.

Among those who were injured were members of the gospel group The Bowling Family, including Mike and Kelly Bowling and their three children. According to a spokesperson that issued a news release, Mike, who was ejected from the bus during the collision, sustained multiple facial injuries and a fractures skull. He is expected to undergo additional surgeries to treat his North Carolina bus accident injuries. Kelly Bowling broke a foot and her vertebrae and will likely have to use a body brace for several months. She may also have to undergo surgery. Their six-year-old daughter Katelanne broke her collarbone. She had to have plastic surgery to repair a deep facial laceration.

Police have said that a the backlog of trucks attempting to get into a weigh station played a part in the Belmont truck accident. The truck backup reportedly extended from the weigh station, across the river bridge, and into the city limits and that this caused the tour bus driver to suddenly run into the line of trucks without any previous warning.

The weigh station, which was built in 1979, may now be too small to handle the large volume of trucks that need to be checked. According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, which runs the weigh station, there is a $300,000 camera system that is supposed to warn people in the station when the trucks are backed-up all the way to the highway. However, this is reportedly not an uncommon occurrence. Belmont Police Chief David James says that other North Carolina truck accidents have happened for this same reason. The Highway patrol is looking at possible sites to set up a new weigh station where longer ramps could be set up.

Backup at weigh station played a role in I-85 crash, WCNC, July 2, 2010

Update: I-85 Crash Injures 10+, Gospel Singer In Fair Condition, 2WSPA.com, July 1, 2010

Related Web Resource:
The Bowling Family

Continue reading "Victims Recovering from North Carolina Tractor-Trailer Accident Involving Tour Bus " »

A tragic Greensboro tractor-trailer accident involving five cars has claimed the lives of brothers Isaiah Reynolds, 11, and Darryl Baucum, 15. Nine other people were injured in the multi-vehicle crash.

The deadly North Carolina truck crash happened early Sunday evening on Interstate 40 close to the High Point road exit. According to one witness, four of the vehicles were behind the large truck when the semi-truck collision happened.

Police have determined that the driver of the semi-truck, Jayne Perkins, caused the truck crash. She has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

North Carolina Tractor-Trailer Accidents
If you were injured in a North Carolina tractor-trailer accident, you do not want to try to pursue your compensation against a negligent trucking company without legal help. Trucking companies are equipped to combat semi-truck accident claims and they know how to minimize liability. It is important that you have your own legal representation that can protect your rights and fight for your financial recovery.

Granted, truck drivers, like all other motorists, are not intentionally trying to cause motor vehicle crushes. Truckers want to get to their destination safely and don’t want to ruin lives by hurting other people. Unfortunately, truck accidents do happen and it is usually pedestrians and the occupants of other vehicles that suffer the most. There are steps that you can take to protect yourself in the event that truck driver is careless, reckless, or makes a driving mistake:

• Stay out of a truck driver’s blind spot
• Obey traffic signals
• Don’t talk on the cell phone
• Don’t text message
• Don’t follow too closely behind a large truck
• Pay attention

Second brother involved in car wreck Sunday dies, Winston-Salem Journal, May 12, 2010

Teen Killed, Several Injured in Multi-vehicle Accident on I-40, Fox8, May 10, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Truck Accident Web Resources, Justia

Large Trucks, NHTSA (PDF)

Continue reading "Greensboro Tractor-Trailer Crash Involving Five Vehicles Kills Two Brothers, Ages 15 and 11, and Injures Nine Others" »

A jury has awarded $1,975,000 to Ann Propst Stoffel for the serious injuries she sustained during a North Carolina truck crash on May 21, 2008. Stoffel is 71.

The catastrophic truck collision happened on NC 62 as FedEx trucker Christopher Adam West attempted to turn left onto Old Glencoe Road. His truck crashed head-on into Stoffel’s 1996 Chrysler minivan. Stoffel’s 88-year-old mother-in-law Virginia was killed in the collision.

Following the Alamance County, North Carolina truck crash, Stoffel has had to two surgeries. She may have had to undergo more in the future.

Stoffel sued FedEx and West. During the North Carolina personal injury trial, the defendants admitted that West was negligent. However, they argued that the amount that the plaintiff’s attorney was seeking—more than $3 million—was unreasonable. The jury, whose job was to decide how much Stoffel should receive, deliberated for about 90 minutes before arriving at their unanimous verdict.

Virginia Stoffel’s family had sought North Carolina wrongful death damages. A settlement was reached last year through mediation.

Common causes of North Carolina truck crashes:

• Distracted driving
• Failure to obey traffic laws and/or signals
• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Truck defects
• Faulty maintenance
• Drowsy driving
• Text messaging
• Cell phone conversations
• Driver fatigue
• Overmedication
• Drugged driving
• Inadequate training
• Following too closely
• Failure to check blind spots
• Aggressive driving
• Hours-of-service violations
• Sleep apnea

The chance of catastrophic injury when involved in a North Carolina truck crash is high. You do not want to pursue damages for this type of case without legal help.

Alamance County jury awards woman close to $2 million in damages, TheTimesNews.com, April 14, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accidents, Nolo

Truck Safety Coalition

In a tragic truck crash making national headlines, 11 people were killed on Friday when a tractor-trailer crossed a median to crash head on into a 15-passenger van. The impact of the semi-trailer accident killed the truck driver and killed Mennonite minister John Eshe, his wife Sadie, their daughter-in-law, four of their two children, the fiancé of their daughter, a baby grandson, and a family friend. The 10 of them were riding in the van. Two children, ages 5 and 3, survived, but their parents, Leroy Eshe and his wife, were among those that died.

The semi-trailer crash happened between 5:30 AM and 6 AM on Interstate 65. The operator of the tractor-trailer involved in the collision is Hester Inc.

North Carolina Truck Accidents
Our Charlotte, North Carolina truck accident lawyers represent victims and their families. Truckers must be careful when operating such large vehicles that often carry up to 80,000 pounds of cargo. Most cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians are defenseless when colliding with a tractor-trailer.

Many trucking companies are equipped to immediately begin fighting against any claims of liability. This is why you shouldn’t try to take on an insurer without speaking with a Monroe semi-truck crash law firm first.

Common causes of North Carolina truck crashes:

• Poor road conditions
• Overloaded trucks
• Drowsiness
• Sleep apnea
• Text messaging
• Distracted driving
• Aggressive driving
• Speeding
• Reckless driving
• Failure to obey traffic laws and signs
• Faulty brakes
• Products liability
• Driver inexperience
• Inadequate trucker training
• Drunk driving
• Failure to abide by hours-of-service rule

11 killed in Kentucky wreck, CNN, March 26, 2010

11 killed when tractor-trailer, van crash in Ky., Associated Press, March 26, 2010

Related Web Resources:
15-Passenger Van Accidents, Safercar.gov

Truck Accidents, Nolo

Continue reading "Tractor-Trailer Crash Involving 15-Passenger Van Kills 11 People" »

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of traffic deaths went down to its lowest level since 1954 with 33,963 fatalities in 2009. That’s 3,300 less traffic fatalities than in 2008. The fatality rate, which factors in the number of miles traveled, hit its lowest level ever.

While US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood acknowledged that this news was positive, he noted that there were still too many people dying in traffic accidents throughout the US.

The NHTSA attributes the drop in traffic deaths last year to its continued efforts to stop drunk driving, remind people to wear seatbelts, and prevent distracted driving. The federal government vows to keep on fighting against these driving dangers.

In North Carolina, our Charlotte car accident attorneys continue to take calls from many people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle crashes because someone was negligent. Common causes of North Carolina traffic crashes continue to include:

• Speeding
• Distracted driving
• Drugged driving
• Texting while driving
• Cell phone use
• Failure to obey traffic laws
• Driver inexperience
• Drugged driving

It is very important that you contact an experienced Hickory car crash law firm first before speaking with the responsible party’s insurance company. If you settle your Charlotte, North Carolina car collision case without exploring your legal options, you may be signing away your right to obtain the maximum compensation possible for your spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, broken bones, burn injuries, neck injury, head injury, back injury, or any other personal injuries.

It can be hard to know at first glance how much medical and rehabilitation care you will need to recover. You may find yourself unable to work for months or even longer. An experienced Monroe, North Carolina car accident lawyer can help you figure all of this out and pursue your recovery for you.

Traffic Fatalities for 2009 Reach Record Low, NHTSA, March 11, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2009 (PDF)

University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center

Continue reading "NHTSA Reports 33,963 Traffic Deaths in 2009" »

12 people were injured in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday morning when a tractor-trailer and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school bus No. 106 collided. 11 of the students and the school bus driver were treated for minor injuries.

School bus drivers and truck drivers are responsible for safely navigating their large vehicles so that no one gets hurt. When carelessness or negligence leads to injuries or deaths, the driver can be held liable for personal injury or wrongful death.

School Bus Accidents
As a parent or guardian, we know that you entrust a school bus driver with your child’s safety every time you allow him/her to ride the bus. If your child got hurt because a school bus driver was distracted, did not obey the traffic laws, or was speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you may have a Charlotte, North Carolina bus accident case against the bus driver, the school district, and other entities.

Tractor-Trailer Accidents
Most truck companies are prepared to fight against Charlotte, North Carolina truck crash cases alleging negligence on the part of the driver or the trucking company. Some truck firms will even send someone to the crash site in an attempt to do damage control. Their representative may even try to get you to settle before you have spoken with a Charlotte, North Carolina injury lawyer or are even aware of the extent of the injuries and their resulting medical costs.

Truck drivers know that they have the upper hand in a truck collision when it comes to staying safe. They have a duty to drive safely so that others do not get hurt.

11 students, 1 adult injured in school bus accident, WCNC, February 10, 2010

Students Injured In West Charlotte School Bus Crash, WSOCTV, February 10, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Transportation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

North Carolina Department of Transportation

Continue reading "Charlotte, North Carolina Tractor-Trailer Accident Involving School Bus Injures 12" »