Truck Accidents 360 Newswire

Archive for 2009

TULSA, OK — A semi truck crash occurred Wednesday morning in West Tulsa, Oklahoma near the I-44 and I-244 intersection shutting down a portion of the highway for about an hour. The cause of the truck accident was due to the truck driver speeding and not the weather, says the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Tulsa Oklahoma semi truck rollover due to driver speeding

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the driver of the semi was going too fast around a curve near the intersection of the two interstate highways. Because he was speeding, the driver then lost control of the big rig, causing the truck to slide onto the snow, hitting a guardrail, rolling on its side, which then caused the big rig to leak diesel fuel onto the highway. ... Read More

SAVANNAH, GA – A 3 year old boy was killed when a semi truck crashed into a minivan carrying a family heading south on I-95 about 45 miles outside of Savannah, Georgia  in McIntosh County near mile marker 63 on December 27, 2009 about 12:30 pm.

Fatal semi truck crash on Interstate 95 just south of Savannah, GA

The Thornton family from Pittsburgh, PA was on its way to a vacation in Florida when the semi tractor-trailer plowed into the rear of their minivan, killing  3-year old Sean Thornton who was in a car seat at the time.

According to Georgia State Police, at the time of the accident, the minivan was being driven by his mother, Susan Thornton, 38 years old who is listed in critical condition at a hospital in Savannah, GA.

Location of fatal semi truck accident about 45 miles south of Savannah, GA on I-95

The boy’s father, Daniel Thornton, 47 years old, and two other children Christopher, age 8 and Sarah, age 5 were also in the vehicle at the time. All sustained injuries – some serious, but all were reported as non-life-threatening.

The accident occurred when heavy traffic forced the family’s vehicle to slow down to about 5 mph when the 18 wheeler, driven by Willie Hill, 50 years old from Jacksonville, FL, slammed into the back of the minivan. The force of the accident caused the vehicles to become entangled and to be shoved off the roadway into the woods by the side of the road, knocking down a couple of trees along the way.

According to witnesses, the big rig was travelling about 70 mph at the time and never braked before plowing into the van. According to a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Hill could face criminal charges. Georgia State Patrol said that the accident is being investigated, but as of this morning, a spokeswoman from the district attorney’s office in McIntosh County said no charges had been filed.

Below is a Google street view of the approximate stretch of highway where the accident occurrred on Interstate 95 about 45 miles south of Savannah, GA. You can click and drag the mouse button to get a 360 degree view of the scene.

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LEBANON, TN – The Music City Star commuter train that travels between Nashville and Lebanon, TN,  hit a dump truck crossing the tracks near a construction site in Wilson County Tuesday morning. No one was injured.

Tennessee Music City Star commuter train hits dump truck crossing railroad tracks

The Music City Star is a commuter rail service that runs between Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee covering 32 miles of rail line. The railroad service uses the existing tracks of the Nashville and Eastern Railroad and currently has six stops: Riverfront Station (western terminus), Donelson, Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, Martha (Tennessee State Route 109 and U.S. Highway 70), and Lebanon (eastern terminus).

The train was on its way to pick up passengers in Lebanon when it struck the semi dump truck on a construction crossing just east of Highway 109, Metropolitan Transit Authority spokeswoman Patricia Harris-Morehead reports.

Approximate location of Music City Star train and truck accident near Lebanon, TN

According to Harris-Morehead there were no passengers on the train at the time, only the train engineer and conductor.  The train hit the truck while the truck was backing across the tracks. The truck driver was not injured.

The train was preparing to make its last run of the morning. Its afternoon schedule was not affected by the crash.

The Tennessee Titans football game is still scheduled for Friday. The Music City Star train is scheduled to run a Game-Day Express to shuttle passengers to and from the Tennessee Titans football game on Friday. This accident will not interrupt any of those plans, officials said.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority took over management of the train last year from the Regional Transportation Authority, which started running between Lebanon and Nashville in 2006.

Harris-Morehead said Tuesday afternoon’s accident was the fifth time the train had collided with a vehicle along the route, which runs from Nashville’s riverfront through Hermitage, Donelson and Mt. Juliet before it ends off Baddour Parkway in Lebanon.

None of those crashes resulted in serious injuries, she said.

In August 2008, the train hit a car stuck in a ditch near Tulip Grove Road in Hermitage. A month later, a teen was treated for bumps and bruises after being hit by the train while driving his truck over the tracks in Lebanon. Police said he tried to cross the tracks despite the flashing warning lights, and that he got out of his truck before the train hit it.

Tennessean.com contributed to this story.

The law firm of Gordon & Elias offers legal information to anyone who may have been injured in a train or semi truck accident in Tennessee or nationwide.  Steve Gordon is a nationwide FELA lawyer and truck accident attorney who specializes in helping individuals and families who may need help.

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WARSAW, IN – A semi tanker truck hauling anhydrous ammonia was hit by a passenger vehicle  just after midnight on U.S. 30 near County Road 500 west in Kosciusko County. The vehicle failed to stop at an intersection, slamming into the side of a semi-tanker, causing the tanker to jack-knife and eventually roll-over onto its side.

Semi truck carrying hazardous materials jackknives after being hit by car on US 30 in Warsaw, IN

The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department suspects that the driver of the passenger vehicle was impaired or intoxicated and legal blood toxicology is pending.

Both drivers were taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital. The driver of the semi-tanker truck was treated and released, but the passenger vehicle driver was reported to be in serious condition with a possible broken neck.

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HAZMAT crews were on the scene slowly removing the anhydrous ammonia and transferring it into another tanker. Westbound U.S. 30 will be closed from C.R. 350 West to C.R. 650 West for an undetermined time today.

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CASPER, WY. — A passenger bus owned by Arrow Stage Line collided with an overturned semi truck lying on its side on Interstate 25. Officials with Arrow Stage Lines said the bus was heading north on Interstate 25 when it collided with an overturned tractor trailer that was blocking both northbound lanes. The bus was travelling from Denver to Billings when it crashed early Saturday morning, Dec 5th near Casper, Wyoming killing the bus driver and injuring at 42 others.

Bus crashes into overturned tractor trailer on I-25 near Casper, Wyoming

The driver, 61-year-old Donald Bonner, of Westminster, Colorado, was killed and 42 of the bus’ 47 passengers were taken to the hospital. Company officials said six people remained in the hospital Saturday for longer observation.

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President Bruce Neuharth said accidents like this are very rare. “We put on over 11 million very safe miles,” he said. “As a company we have a very good safety record. We try to take care of these things when they do occur. We also put emergency procedures in place. We watch road conditions, weather reports. If it’s unsafe we make the immediate call to pull a vehicle off.”

Passengers stayed in a hotel in Casper. Neuharth said several passengers made alternative travel arrangements to get to their destination, but the company offered another bus and several vans for passengers who may have been afraid to board a bus.

Police officials reported the bus had just gotten to the top of a hill when it hit the tractor-trailer and pushed it nearly 60-feet down the roadway. All of injured passengers were rushed to two different hospitals in the area for treatment. Most of the reported injuries included broken bones, like a broken jaw, broken leg, and a broken tail bone.

The driver of the flipped semi was transported to Wyoming Medical Center for treatment. Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers are conducting a full investigation into the fatal crash.

Truck accident attorneys, Gordon & Elias, are representing one of the passengers injured in the accident. For more information, read more about common truck accident causes.

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MATTHEWS, NC – WBTV news reports that a train heading to Charlotte NC from Atlanta, GA collided with a tractor trailer truck in Matthews, NC Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. Fortunately, no one was injured as a result of the accident.

Matthews, NC truck accident; train collides with tractor traier stuck on train tracks

The Matthews Police Department reports that the trailer got stuck on the tracks on Crestdale Road near East Charles Street. Because the truck driver was able to un-hitch the cab of the truck from the trailer, the train, which consisted of two locomotives and 19 cars, hit the trailer resulting in an accident.

Crestdale Rd. at E. Charles St. was closed, as well as Tank Town Rd. at the E. Charles St. rail crossing. Around 10:30 AM CSX was able to move the train and reopen access to Tank Town Rd. and the Rainbow Ridge community.

Repairs of the affected rail crossing at Crestdale Rd. and clean up of the scene lasted into the afternoon hours.

The driver of the truck was cited for careless and reckless driving; and obstructing a rail road crossing with a commercial motor vehicle, according to the Town of Matthews

State Highway Patrol Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Troopers responded to assist with the investigation and charged the trucking company, Heartland Express, with failure to display triangles on a disabled vehicle and disobeying traffic signs for vehicle restrictions.

If you need information about truck accident law pertaining to North Carolina, talk to a North Carolina truck accident lawyer who is qualified to answer your questions. At TruckAccidents360.com, you can find a North Carolina truck accident attorney who specializes in representing victims involved in tractor trailer, big rig truck injury accidents.

Steve Gordon, expert FELA lawyer, specializes in railroad worker injury claims. For more FELA information, contact a North Carolina FELA lawyer 24/7.

Wahoo, NE – According to Saunders County sheriff, a deadly semi truck accident occured on Monday night around 6pm about two miles east of Wahoo on Highway 22. A tractor trailer skidded on a patch of ice, jacknifed and then hit an oncoming SUV. Two other cars then came along and crashed into the wreck.

Wahoo, NE semi truck accident near Omaha on Highway 22

The driver of the semi truck, a 37 year old man, died at the scene. Three other people were treated and released from the hospital. The victim’s identity has not been released yet.

Not long after this accident, two other cars collided near the same spot. That crash was not related to the fatal collision, Sheriff Stukenholtz said. One person was injured in the second crash and also was treated at the Saunders County hospital and released.

Stukenholtz said the roadway “was extremely slick” and contributed to the crash.

Highway 92 between Mead and Wahoo has been shut down by the sheriff.

He said the roadway “was extremely slick” and contributed to the crash.

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Nationwide truck accident attorney, Steve Gordon, states that road conditions contribute to more than half of all deaths in vehicular crashes nationally – more than drunken driving, speeding or nonuse of seatbelts – this according to a study commissioned by an industry group that advocates for boosting spending on road construction.

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SAYLORSBURG, PA: An out of control FedEx tractor trailer traveling on Route 33 in Monroe County Pennsylvania went off the road and down an embankment, crashing into a winery near Saylorsburg. The area is in the east central section of the state a few miles from the border with New Jersey. It is 87 miles north of Philadelphia and 290 miles east of Pittsburgh, PA.

FedEx semi truck losses control crashes into Pennsylvania winery in Monroe County

The semi truck accident occurred shortly after 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning Dec 10th when two men from Illinois were driving the FedEx northbound on Route 33 near the Saylorsburg exit and 12 miles south of Stroudsburg. As the FedEx truck driver took a curve in the highway he attempted to change lanes, moving from the right lane into the left and lost control of the 18 wheeler.

The semi truck crashed through a guardrail and plunged down an embankment. At the bottom of the embankment the tractor trailer plowed through a stone and mortar fence surrounding the Sorrenti Cherry Valley Vineyard & Winery. The 18 wheeler continued on, finally coming to a stop in the winery parking lot, where it rolled over on its side. According to one of the owners a tree stopped the 18 wheeler from crashing into the winery’s warehouse.

No one at the winery was injured, however the co-owner, Nicholas Sorrenti, had been at the site just a few minutes earlier to unlock the entrance gate.

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The truck driver, 27 year old Vladimir Marjarmovic, who resides near Chicago, Illinois, was trapped in the cab of the FedEx tractor trailer and had to be extricated by local firefighters who responded to the scene. His passenger, 27 year old Milan Kocic, also of Illinois, was able to get out of the truck cab by himself. Emergency personnel treated both men at the scene and then transported them to Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, PA with moderate injuries.

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Traffic on Route 33 was not hampered by the accident, but police had to shut down Lower Cherry Valley Road so workers could clean up the scene. Crews from Schlier’s Towing in Stroudsburg drained the diesel fuel from the disabled FedEx tractor trailer and then towed the wreckage away. The area was cleared and the road reopened shortly after 4:00 p.m.

The truck accident damaged some of the Sorrenti Cherry Valley Vineyard & Winery property and according to Mary Sorrenti, “It looks like a war zone.” The truck accident remains under investigation and citations may be issued upon completion.

This is the seventh time in a little over twenty years that the Sorrenti Winery has been the scene of an accident. Just last year a driver crashed onto the property, and after refusing help, climbed up the embankment and stepped onto Route 33 where he was hit and killed by a fire truck. The Sorrenti family has mounted a petition drive to lower the speed limit in the area, add flashing warning lights, and replace the lower guardrails with higher barriers.

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If you need information about truck accident law pertaining to Pennsylvania, talk to an expert Pennsylvania truck accident attorney who is qualified to answer your questions. At TruckAccidents360.com, you can find a Pennsylvania truck accident lawyer who specializes in representing victims involved in tractor trailer, big rig truck injury accidents.

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MERRILL, IA – An Iowa man died from injuries he suffered in a head-on collision with a semi truck on Tuesday. The accident happened in Plymouth County on U.S. 75, a mile north of Merrill, Iowa. The accident area is in the northwest corner of the state near the border with South Dakota, 115 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska and 216 miles northwest of Des Moines, IA.

Pickup truck collides with semi truck in Merril IA; Pickup driver killed

Tuesday morning at around 8:00 a.m., Juan Chagolla, 46 years old, and Rosalinda, 41 years old, of Le Mars, IA were southbound on U.S. 75 in their 2003 Chevrolet pick up truck. The road surfaces were icy due to winter weather conditions, and it appears that Mr. Chagolla lost traction and skidded on the slippery highway. The Chagolla pick up truck crossed over the highway median and into the northbound lanes of U.S. 75, directly in the path of an oncoming 2005 International semi truck which was pulling a gas tanker.

The truck driver, 46 year old Todd Saunders of Sioux City, IA, attempted to avoid an accident but there was not enough time and he slammed head on into the Chagolla’s pick up truck. The head-on collision pushed the smaller pick up truck into a nearby ditch.

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An officer with the Plymouth County Conservation Department was a witness to the fatal truck accident as he was already at the scene, investigating another vehicle that ended up in the ditch. Officers from the Le Mars Police Department and officials with the Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement office also reported to the truck accident scene.

In addition, emergency personnel from Merrill Ambulance and Le Mars Ambulance responded to the scene of the truck accident, where they found that Mr. Chagolla had suffered fatal injuries in the collision. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Mrs. Chagolla was treated and stabilized at the accident scene and then transported to Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars, IA. After initial examination and treatment she was transferred to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, IA. A Mercy Medical Center spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday that Mrs. Chagolla was still hospitalized and her condition was listed as serious.

The truck driver, Mr. Saunders, received minor injuries in the truck collision. Emergency workers treated him at the scene and then he was released.

The tractor trailer was apparently able to remain upright after colliding with the pick up truck, and there were no reports that it was disabled. There were also no reports that the 18 wheeler spilled any fuel or that the gas tanker lost any of its contents.

The officers believe that the icy road conditions led to the truck accident, and the investigation remains open. No charges or citations have been issued at this time.

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Road conditions contribute to more than half of all deaths in vehicular crashes nationally – more than drunken driving, speeding or nonuse of seatbelts – according to a study commissioned by an industry group that advocates for boosting spending on road construction. More than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions – a substantially more lethal factor than drunk driving, speeding or non-use of safety belts – according to a landmark study released on July 1, 2009. Ten roadway-related crashes occur every minute (5.3 million a year) and also contribute to 38 percent of non-fatal injuries the report found. Read more about “Defective Hazardous or Unsafe Roads.”

Gordon & Elias, Nationwide truck accident attorneys, are uniquely positioned to represent truck accident victims throughout the United States. For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced Iowa truck injury lawyer, please contact us.

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PARAMUS, NJ: A truck driver hauling a load of Coca Cola products died when he was involved in a multi vehicle accident early Saturday morning on Dec 5th. The truck accident happened on Route 17 in Paramus, NJ, in Bergen County. The area is in the north section of the state near the New York border, 20 miles north of Newark, NJ and 23 miles northwest of New York, NY.

Coca Cola semi truck accident involving two tractor trailers and an SUV

At around 3:30 a.m. the unidentified Coke truck driver was headed south on Route 17 between Midland Avenue and the New Jersey Parkway South exit when he rear-ended another tractor trailer. It has not been determined why the Coke truck driver collided with the other 18 wheeler.

The truck collision caused extensive damage to the front section of the Coke truck cab, and it also resulted in the load of cans inside the Coke truck to shift forward, crushing the cab from the back.

After the two tractor trailers collided, a SUV attempting to avoid the truck accident plowed head on into a utility pole. Two of the area’s utility poles were knocked over due to the truck accident. It is unknown if this caused a disruption in any utility or power service in the area.

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Paramus Police and emergency workers responded to the scene. The two truck drivers and the SUV driver were stabilized at the scene and then transported to Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ. The driver of the Coca Cola truck suffered fatal injuries and died.

The multiple truck collision spilled much of the Coke cargo onto Route 17, and the roadway was littered with soda cans. New Jersey Department of Transportation officials closed down the highway and brought in heavy construction equipment to help clear the debris off the road. Other crews spread sand on the roadway to soak up the cola that had spilled from cans that had burst open. The Bergen County Hazmat team was also called to the truck accident scene.

The southbound lanes of Route 17 were closed for hours as workers cleared the debris and tow trucks removed the two tractor trailers and the SUV. Others crews worked on restoring the two utility poles. The traffic delays lasted into the morning hours as many drivers slowed down to look at the scene of the multiple truck accident.

The truck accident remains under investigation by NJ DOT and the Paramus Police Department. The Bergen County prosecutor is also conducting an investigation. No charges or citations have been issued at this time.

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Truck drivers work long hours and are often pressured by their employer to complete their tasks by any means necessary. That results in shortcuts that amount to negligence. Drivers are required to adhere to regulations involving time on the road, number of breaks, and weight of the load they carry. Under the law, a trucking company can be held liable for the negligence of its drivers.

Contact a New Jersey truck accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a truck accident. Locate a New Jersey truck accident lawyer at TruckAccidents360 who specializes in representing victims involved in truck injury accidents.

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