Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers warn truck crashes kill

The destruction and trauma caused by a crash with a large truck is devastating. Often, innocent people are killed, and lives are ruined. However, many of these crashes are caused by controllable factors such as lack of proper driver training, driver fatigue, driver distraction, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving overloaded trucks.

Last week, a tractor-trailer driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing a multi-vehicle accident on Route 222 in Berks County that killed two people and injured nine others. The Allentown Morning Call reported that the truck driver rammed into several vehicles stopped at a traffic light. Still asleep, the trucker, a 50-year old Reading man, veered into oncoming traffic and collided with more vehicles.

The Berks County DA said in a press conference that the driver was charged with nine counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 10 counts of reckless endangerment, as well as several other charges.

A fiery three-truck chain reaction crash on the New Jersey turnpike last week killed a Delaware man. The chain-reaction crash happened as two of the trucks that were slowed down for traffic ahead of them were rear-ended by a third truck. The trucks burst into flames on impact, killing one of the drivers. The crash is still under investigation.

Last week in Phoenix, Arizona, another truck driver said he was asleep at the wheel when the fully-loaded commercial flatbed truck he was driving crashed into the back of a Mercedes, causing a chain reaction crash that involved four vehicles. The 22-year old driver of the Mercedes was killed instantly and several others were injured.

Many of these truck crashes are the result of truck driver fatigue, and because they involve very large vehicles with heavy loads, death and serious injuries are often the result. Driver fatigue is what caused the crash involving comedian Tracy Morgan this past summer.

TIME Magazine reported that Morgan is still battling to recover from a serious brain injury suffered when a Walmart truck crashed into the vehicle he was riding in on June 7th on the New Jersey turnpike. TIME reported that it is uncertain whether or not Morgan will ever fully recover. The driver of the truck involved in that accident is accused of falling asleep behind the wheel after being awake for more than 24 hours before the crash.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 3,921 people killed and 104,000 people injured in crashes involving large trucks in 2012. Of those killed or injured in truck crashes, 73% are the occupants of other vehicles. Large trucks and tractor-trailers often weigh more than 20 times that of a passenger car and can take the length of a football field to stop when traveling at a high rate of speed.

Victims of truck crashes, if they survive, often require a lengthy recovery with extensive and costly medical treatment, as in the case of Tracy Morgan. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a truck, the experienced personal injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can help. Call the Munley team today for a free consultation at 855-866-5529.