Georgia Personal Injury Law Blog : Atlanta Georgia Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Jason R. Schultz Law Firm : Wrongful Death, Malpractice, Car Accidents : Georgia

A tractor trailer accident on southbound I-85 on February 24^th resulted in an overturned vehicle and injuries to the driver. Edward James Clements Jr. was approaching the Moreland exit ramp when the vehicle apparently hit some barrels.  The impact caused the weight of 41,000 pound of cotton and yarn in the trailer to shift, and the vehicle soon skidded and overturned. Clement suffered non life threatening injuries.

Nobody was injured in this single vehicle accident. According to the preliminary investigation, the driver seemed to be having some trouble with his tires and was attempting to pull over to get a tire fixed. The driver was cited for driving with defective tires, as well as with failure to maintain his lane.

It was fortunate that this accident did not involve other vehicles or injure any other motorists. A massive tractor trailer going out of control can easily create a destructive situation for other vehicles on the road. When a tractor trailer overturns on a busy highway, other vehicles close by are forced to try and avoid the big rig. Multi vehicle accidents result when something like this happens during rush hour. A tire blow out is, by itself, enough to cause serious injuries to surrounding motorists. The force with which shreds of blown rubber fly into the air at high speeds poses a risk to nearby motorists. That's all the more reason why a tractor trailer driver must take care to conduct a complete examination of his vehicle before starting a trip.

In the above case, the truck driver could have easily avoided this incident if he had simply checked his tires during his required pre-trip inspection. Instead, he decided to drive a large truck with balding tires that were close to a blowout, placing not just himself but other drivers at risk for serious injuries. The trucking company that owned and operated the tractor trailer was also negligent in its failure to make sure that its vehicles were fit to be operated on busy streets.

Victims injured in an accident with a tractor trailer can file claims against the driver and trucking company involved, if evidence shows that there was failure to inspect and maintain the truck. If you have been injured in a truck accident, contact an Atlanta truck accident lawyer at my law firm for a free consultation.

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A man who died in an accident involving two pick up trucks near Hoboken has been identified as James P. Batten. Batten was driving a 2006 Toyota Tundra with his 34-year-old son Jason in the passenger seat, when his pick up collided with a Toyota Tacoma driven by Kendall Aubrey Willis.

According to this report, the accident occurred when Willis fell asleep at the wheel of his pick up. His truck veered over the center line and into the west bound lane and incoming traffic, where the Tacoma crashed into the Batten's pick up. Batten swerved to avoid a collision with the other pick up, but Willis' truck slammed against the other vehicle, sending it into a ditch, and overturning it. While the older man died, his son sustained minor injuries in the accident. Willis suffered serious life threatening injuries, and is currently recovering at the hospital.

This isn’t the first time we've had an accident occurring because one of the drivers dozed off at the wheel. Unfortunately, drowsy driving is a major cause of accidents across the country, causing approximately 100,000 crashes every year, and is also one of the most underestimated causes.  At least 1550 deaths are caused each year by these accidents.   The numbers, although alarming, may actually be just the tip of the iceberg. It's harder to monitor drowsy driving than it is to book a drunk driving offender. There's no technical equipment available to ascertain the levels of fatigue and drowsiness the motorist was driving under. Plus, motorists may not reveal the truth about their drowsy state at the time of the accident. The actual number of deaths caused by people driving when they should be counting sheep in their sleep may actually be higher than the above mentioned statistics. 

Data shows that drowsy driving may be more prevalent than we imagine. A responsible driver might think twice about driving under the influence of alcohol, but since drowsy driving is not a crime in most states, it's considered more acceptable to be behind the wheel in a sleepy state than it should be. The effects of sleepiness are the same that alcohol causes, and can be just as dangerous. People who work in shifts, work long hours, or suffer from insomnia, sleep apnea, or other sleep disorders are more at risk for causing such accidents. Yet, New Jersey is the only state in the country that has specific laws against drowsy driving.  Georgia, like most other states, has no specific liability laws that apply to drowsy driving.

As an Atlanta car accident lawyer, I fail to understand why we continue to ignore what is a major risk to motorists on the road.  It's high time driving fatigued or drowsy was recognized as the menace it is so those that share the road can be spared needless deaths and serious personal injuries that occur each year.  

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