In the matter of just a few seconds, a person’s life can be turned upside down if they are involved in a motor vehicle accident. Not only can property be damaged in a crash, but people’s lives and wellbeing can be damaged as well. And when an accident involves a large, powerful commercial-sized vehicle, the damage that is done can be catastrophic.
At least three people suffered injuries in recent accident involving a tractor trailer in Georgia. Thankfully, everyone survived the crash, which started when a trucker lost control of his rig on Highway 20. The situation should serve as a reminder that truck accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and they can often be devastating.
According to reports, a 40-year-old truck driver was behind wheel of his tractor trailer when he lost control of the vehicle. The truck jackknifed when the trucker failed to safely negotiate a curve in the road and overcorrected. The trailer of the truck came forward and struck one vehicle on the other side of the road and was then hit from behind by a second car that could not avoid the truck.
The woman in the first vehicle that was hit suffered serious injuries in the accident. Three people in the second vehicle that rear-ended the truck were also treated for injuries. Like most other trucking accidents, there are no reports that the truck driver suffered any injuries. This is often the case because truckers are much more protected in a crash due to the height, size and weight of an average tractor trailer.
The reason that the trucker lost control of the vehicle has not been reported yet. But in similar accidents, authorities discover that a trucker was driving too fast or was distracted and failed to note changing road conditions in time to avoid an accident. In some cases, it is determined that a trucker was impaired by fatigue, alcohol or drugs at the time of a crash. In any of these instances, victims who are injured in a crash involving a negligent truck driver have the right to take legal action and pursue compensation for damages resulting from the accident. Money cannot undo the damage that was done, but it can help victims and their families recover from the accident and cope with the consequences.
Source: Canton-Sixes Patch, “Three Injured in Accident Involving Tractor Trailer,” Kristal Dixon, Dec. 22, 2013
