E. Michael Grossman's Personal Injury Blog

Trucking Fatalities Hold Steady

As reported yesterday in the Dallas Morning News...

Truck crackdown sought as fatalities hold steady...

"WASHINGTON – Two advocacy groups called for tougher federal regulations on trucks while releasing a study that shows U.S. fatalities from truck accidents holding steady at 100 a week.

The Truck Safety Coalition and Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways said the latest numbers show that Wyoming, Arkansas and Oklahoma are the deadliest states for truck crashes, based on the number of fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2005.

In 1999, when the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was created, 5,380 people died in crashes with big trucks, said Joan Claybrook, chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways. In 2005, it was 5,212, she said.

"That figure has barely budged," she said.

The families of truck crash victims this week are lobbying Congress and the Bush administration to create stricter rules."

"Texas was roughly in the middle of the pack, with 2.2 truck crash deaths per 100,000. That's 23rd in the nation."

Posted by E. Michael Grossman, Texas Trucking Accident Attorney

Series of Tractor Trailor Accidents Ties up I35

A tragic accident occurred on Tuesday when an 18 wheeler lost control after a flat tire separated from the rim.  The resulting sparks caused the trailer to catch on fire. The driver was injured. 

As a result of the backup, a separate 18-wheeler was rear-ended by another tractor-trailer, causing both trucks to catch on fire. But to make matters worse, one of those trucks was hauling ammunition.  Firefighters had to back down from putting out the fire(s) because some of the ammunition was exploding!  See the Star Telegram for details...

Posted by E. Michael Grossman Texas 18 wheeler accident attorney

Fatique-Alyzer!

Soon there may be a way to test doctors, pilots and truck drivers for fatique. Researchers have discovered a important link between drowsiness and increased activity of an enzyme that is known for breaking down starches.  This discovery could lead to a simple test that can tell whether truck drivers, medical providers, pilots and other workers are fatiques or sleep-deprived.

In the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Washington University call their work "the first step in developing an effective method for detecting sleepiness in vulnerable populations" - a major goal cited by safety advocates.

More information is provided In a recent article posted by

Next, a fatigue-alyzer?
Scientists find a link between sleepiness and an enzyme that could lead to a test for drivers, doctors, pilots
BY BRYN NELSON
Newsday Staff Writer

Posted by E. Michael Grossman, Texas 18 wheeler accident attorney

Regulating the Trucking Industry

According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, thousands of motorist are killed each year by large trucks -- those weighing more than 10,000 pounds. 18-wheelers, semi-trucks, tractor-trailers and semis fall into this category.

In 2003 alone, large trucks accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 4 percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes.

Some of the most common causes of trucking accidents are:

• Tire Failure
• Speeding
• Sleepy drivers
• Fatigue caused by strenuous schedules imposed by trucking companies
• Brake failure, brake over-heating
• Faulty mechanical components
• Poor safety and road-worthiness tests performed on the trucks.

Leading paragraph from The New York Times article series discussing deregulation.  This one applies to the trucking industry and regulation on drivers hours.

As Dorris Edwards slowed for traffic near Kingdom City, Mo., on her way home from a Thanksgiving trip in 2004, an 18-wheeler slammed into her Jeep Cherokee.

The Bush administration has installed trucking officials, including Duane W. Acklie, left, and David S. Addington, in influential posts to advance its agenda of loosening regulations on the industry.
The truck crushed the sport-utility vehicle and shoved it down an embankment off Interstate 70. Ms. Edwards, 62, was killed.

The truck driver accepted blame for the accident, and Ms. Edwards’s family filed a lawsuit against the driver and the trucking company.

In the course of pursuing its case, the family broached a larger issue: whether the Bush administration’s decision to reject tighter industry regulation and instead reduce what officials viewed as cumbersome rules permitted a poorly trained trucker to stay behind the wheel, alone, instead of resting after a long day of driving.

After intense lobbying by the politically powerful trucking industry, regulators a year earlier had rejected proposals to tighten drivers’ hours and instead did the opposite, relaxing the rules on how long truckers could be on the road. That allowed the driver who hit Ms. Edwards to work in the cab nearly 12 hours, 8 of them driving nonstop, which he later acknowledged had tired him.

Government officials had also turned down repeated requests from insurers and safety groups for more rigorous training for new drivers. The driver in the fatal accident was a rookie on his first cross-country trip; his instructor, a 22-year-old with just a year of trucking experience, had been sleeping in a berth behind the cab much of the way.

Semi Accident in Plano, TX

A semi tractor trailer ran a red light Wednesday morning in Plano, TX killing a woman and closing the westbound service drive for state Highway 121 at Custer Road. The female driver of a Ford Focus was caught under the tractor-trailor and burst into flames.

In the U.S. in 2003, there were 4,669 fatal crashes involving large trucks, compared to 58,512 fatal traffic accidents in total.  California had the most fatal big truck accidents with 5,725, followed by Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Visit Texas18WheelerAccident.com for more information on tractor-trailor accidents in Texas.

18 Wheeler Accident

With today’s high-pressure economy, where everything needs to be instant, truck drivers are put under enormous amounts of pressure, oftentimes in an attempt to save time and meet quotas. You see, to these big trucking companies, time is money. And sometimes money can be worth breaking a few rules. And a few broken rules may damage or take a few lives.

According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, thousands of motorists are killed each year by large trucks -- those weighing more than 10,000 pounds. 18-wheelers, semi-trucks, tractor-trailers and semis fall into this category.

In 2003 alone, large trucks accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 4 percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes.

Some of the most common causes of trucking accidents are:

• Tire Failure
• Speeding
• Sleepy drivers
• Fatigue caused by strenuous schedules imposed by trucking companies
• Brake failure, brake over-heating
• Faulty mechanical components
• Poor safety and road-worthiness tests performed on the trucks.

New regulations require that truckers drive no more than 18 hours a day and require time in the sleeping compartment be logged. Of course this doesn’t mean that they always follow these laws. Drivers are often asked to work beyond these hours, and silently told… or out-right told through the companies’ stipulation of speed and quick transport:

“This load needs to be there by ‘X’ day, or there will be consequences.”

Other than driver error, often it is the actual rig that malfunctions or fails causing 18 wheeler accidents. Some examples of potential failures are brake failure or malfunction, faulty mechanical components and disproportioned loads.

All of these things make these 18 wheelers a potential danger on our roadways. However, they can be avoided in many cases, if the trucking companies would enforce proper methods and procedures for safe trucking.  This may slightly impact the bottom line of the trucking companies, but in the long run would save many lives.  And after all, who can put a value on life!

Grossman Law Offices represents 18 wheeler accidents in Texas.  Visit www.texas18wheeleraccident.com for more information.

Pedestrian - 18-wheeler Accident in Austin

Trucking accidents have an increased chance of causing an injury because in most cases, a truck cannot remain upright during an accident. Additionally, truck drivers have limited visibility and maneuverability. These factors greatly contribute to trucking accidents. Whether the driver is distracted, falls asleep at the wheel or just isn't paying attention, accidents caused by these massive vehicles can kill or catastrophically injure motorist.

Texas area 18 wheeler accidents making the news...

Pedestrian killed by 18-wheeler (News 8 Austin) A man died in South Austin on Friday after being struck by an 18-wheeler at the intersection of Ben White and Interstate 35. Police say the man was pushing a bicycle while trying to cross the frontage road at the intersection about 3 p.m.

18-wheeler Explodes in I-10 Wreck (Beaumont Enterprise - Aug 14 9:07 PM)
The driver of an 18-wheeler hauling gravel died Monday when his truck struck another 18-wheeler on Interstate 10 eastbound in Rose City, flipped off the highway and exploded, said Trooper Richard Vasser of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Post by E. Michael Grossman  Texas 18 wheeler accident attorney

Texas 18 wheeler driver involved in fatal accident in Natchez, MS this morning.

As reported in The Natchez Democrat, an accident in Natchez, MS took the life of a 26 year old woman.

“Anna Hudgens, 26, of Natchez was pronounced dead at Riverland Medical Center Thursday, after her vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler. The accident occurred at 8:25 a.m., near Ridgecrest, State Trooper Chad Dickson said.

“An 18-wheeler was stopped on U.S. 65(84) south bound in the inside lane preparing to turn left into a private drive or lot,” Dickson said. “And the other vehicle ran into the rear of the tractor trailer.”

Clinton Richardson, from Carrollton, Texas, was driving the 18-wheeler and was not injured. He was released at the scene of the accident and alcohol was not a factor in the case, Dickson said.”

SOURCE: The Natchez Democrat

Post by E. Michael Grossman  Texas 18 wheeler accident attorney