Truck Accidents | Grant Law Office - Part 3

What Causes Most Truck Accidents?

By Grant Law Office on July 28, 2015

2015 has been a tragic year on Georgia’s roadways. Less than a month after a semi-truck accident killed five nursing students from Georgia Southern University, another big rig collision was responsible for five more deaths. Both multi-fatality accidents occurred on Interstate 16 near Savannah. According to a report on from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website, witnesses described the tractor trailer as “drifting in and out of lanes” before smashing into cars in front of it. Authorities suspect the truck’s driver may have fallen asleep.Read more…

Mother Critically Injured in Atlanta Crash

By Grant Law Office on July 3, 2014

A 20-year-old woman was put on life support and four others were injured in an Atlanta car accident when her Honda Passport was sent into the path of an oncoming Ford-150 by a box truck. According to a news report in The Newnan Times-Herald, the truck accident occurred on Highway 16 near Martin Mill Road in Coweta County. Officials say the 28-year-old driver of the box truck was traveling too closely and struck the Honda from behind. The Honda was sent into oncoming traffic where it collided with the Ford head-on.

The 20-year-old driver of the Honda is on life support. Her 2-year-old daughter has been released and the hospital says her 13-year-old sister is said to be in stable condition. The driver of the Ford-150 was taken to the hospital as was his passenger but both have been released. The driver of the box truck refused treatment and was charged with following too closely.Read more…

Truck Driver Charged in Fatal Barrow County Crash

By Grant Law Office on June 16, 2014

A 29-year-old man has been killed in an Atlanta pickup truck accident involving a Dodge 3500, a 1989 red Dodge Ram 50 truck, a tractor-trailer, and a mower. According to a news report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the fatal car accident occurred on Georgia 316 in Barrow County. Officials say the Dodge 3500 came to a stop because the driver was unable to navigate around the mower.

The driver of the pickup slowed down as it approached but the tractor-trailer failed to avoid the collision and struck the back of the pickup which then hit the Dodge 3500. The pickup truck and the trailer of the truck overturned. A 29-year-old man was killed, a 44-year-old Athens man was injured, and the 40-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer was charged for homicide by vehicle in the second degree and following too closely.Read more…

Young Woman Survives Atlanta Truck Accident

By Grant Law Office on May 21, 2014

A 22-year-old woman narrowly escaped serious injury when her car was pinned under an 18-wheeler. According to a My Fox Atlanta news report, the truck accident occurred on Interstate 85 near Hamilton Mill Road in Atlanta. Officials say her car was struck by a piece of tire and that the car in front of her slammed on its brakes.

The woman swerved out of the way and ended up underneath the 18-wheeler. Her vehicle was dragged for about a minute under the truck before she was able to crawl out of the driver’s side. The report states that her mouth was full of glass but she escaped without any serious cuts or other injuries. Investigators say the big rig was able to stop quickly because the car cut the pressure line to the brakes.Read more…

Two Injured in Georgia Poultry Truck Crash

By Grant Law Office on February 5, 2014

On the early morning of January 27, a poultry truck transporting live chickens was overturned in a collision that took place on Highway 129 at Lenox Drive, according to a report by AccessNorthyGa.com.

An official with the Georgia State Patrol said the crash, which occurred east of Gainesville, was caused by a 76-year-old man, a deputy with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, who drove his vehicle into the path of the poultry-carrying truck. He was going to work when the accident happened.Read more…

Multi-Vehicle Crash on I-75 Kills Two

By Grant Law Office on December 6, 2013

On November 14, a disastrous chain-reaction accident involving a semi-truck took place on Interstate 75, resulting in the deaths of two people.

According to a report by myfoxatlanta.com, in the early afternoon, a 40-year-old truck driver was heading north on the highway past the Hickory Grove Road overpass when he failed to stop in time for traffic that was slowed due to construction.

His tractor trailer rammed into a BMW, forcing it into a white 2011 Chrysler Town and Country minivan followed by several other vehicles.Read more…

The Causes of an Atlanta Jackknife Accident

By Grant Law Office on August 26, 2013

A “jackknife accident” occurs when a tractor-trailer folds in on itself like a pocketknife. In other words, the semi truck comes to a halt while the heavy trailer maintains momentum and pushes the tractor from behind, causing the trailer to swing around until it is nearly side-by-side with the tractor.

Jackknife accidents, although less fatal than other types of truck accidents, can be catastrophic to the involved motorists. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), jackknife accidents caused 254 fatalities along with more than 1,000 injuries in 2005. In addition to personal damages, jackknife accidents are responsible for thousands of dollars in property damage annually.Read more…

One Woman Killed in I-85 Rollover Crash Involving a Tractor Trailer

By Grant Law Office on July 17, 2013

According to a report on myfoxatlanta.com, on the early afternoon of July 8, a crash on the I-85 in Gwinnett County proved fatal for one woman. Two children were also injured in the crash. The father of the two children walked away unscathed.

A chain of unfortunate events resulted in this tragic accident. The four were in an SUV on I-85 close to Pleasant Hill Road when a tractor-trailer clipped the SUV, causing it to collide with a truck. The SUV proceeded to drive up an embankment and flip several times before going over a guardrail and finally landing and coming to a stop on an on-ramp at Steve Reynolds Boulevard.Read more…

Marine Killed in Albany Motorcycle Tractor Trailer Collision

By Grant Law Office on July 15, 2013

According to a report on WALB News 10, a Marine Sergeant, 26, was riding his motorcycle in Albany on June 30 when he was killed in a collision with a tractor trailer on Cordele Road. He was based in the Marine Corps Logistics Base and worked with the Command Maintenance Assistance Team.

The Albany Marine was traveling north when he encountered a truck going the other way and turning left into a truck stop. He couldn’t stop in time and ran into the passenger side of the large truck. He was taken to the hospital, where he passed away.

At the time of his death, charges were still pending, and the investigation of the crash site was not concluded.Read more…

EMTs and Patient Killed in Georgia Ambulance Crash

By Grant Law Office on June 14, 2013

A 65-year-old patient and two emergency medical technicians were killed in a Georgia car accident involving a collision between their ambulance and a semitrailer. According to a news report in The Associated Press, the fatal truck accident occurred on state Highway 32 near the town of Ocilla in South Georgia. Officials say the ambulance had its lights and sirens on when a semi jackknifed across the centerline. The ambulance struck the left side of the semi and the driver, patient, and other medical technician were killed. It is unclear what caused the truck to jackknife.

Jackknifing is when a trailer pushes on a tractor from behind and rotates at an acute angle, like a folding pocketknife. Jackknifing is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons. Smaller vehicles can get crushed by the swinging trailer, and the momentum of the truck may force it into other vehicles as the truck driver struggles to bring it to a halt. Jackknife accidents can even prove dangerous after the truck has stopped because the positioning of the trailer will likely impair further motion of the truck. This means that the large tractor-trailer will be sitting in traffic as a giant hazard for approaching vehicles.Read more…