A glance at the local news reveals that tractor trailer and other commercial truck accidents in Mississippi are all too common and often deadly. A few months ago, in Tupelo, a young mother and her two year old daughter lost their lives in an 18-wheeler accident turned tragedy. The young mother, Olida Acosta, had been parked in a car with her daughter outside of a local business. The pair was waiting for a family member inside. Suddenly, a massive 18-wheeler, with no driver at the wheel, pummeled the car. The vehicle containing Acosta and her daughter was pushed into the commercial building, along with the truck. It took emergency crew workers over an hour to lift the large truck off of the car, and Acosta and her daughter were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Investigators later determined the cause of the accident—the truck driver had exited the vehicle but forgot to put the parking brake on, allowing it to roll into Acosta’s vehicle.
Just weeks ago, a three vehicle accident involving an 18-wheeler led to the deaths of two individuals and injury of another in Desoto. The vehicles were driving southbound on Highway 45. Investigations revealed that a 18-wheeler rear-ended the truck in front of it. The truck then hit the car in front of it. The vehicles than slid all the way down the quarter mile bridge until the truck caught fire. It was the fire that killed the two passengers in the pickup truck, and injured the driver of the car. The driver of the 18-wheeler was uninjured.
As these local news stories illustrate, tractor trailer accidents can be deadly and occur at alarming rates. Below is Part I of our list of the causes behind tractor trailer accidents in Mississippi. This list is intended to help you stay safe by anticipating common causes for accidents, and also to aid in your understanding of the problem so if you ever become an accident victim, your chances of recovery are better.
- Fatigue—due to heavy workloads and long hours on the road, commercial truck drivers experience fatigue at shocking rates. Driving an 80,000 pound tractor trailer while tired is a recipe for disaster, as studies show tired driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. A licensed truck accident attorney can help you to determine whether the driver who hit you was fatigued.
- Distracted driving—driver distraction is a huge problem for all drivers, but is exceptionally dangerous when enormous trucks are involved. Glancing down for even a second while driving these mammoth vehicles can lead to a deadly accident. Further, because truck drivers are on the road so often, they are more likely to engage in distracting activities, such as: eating, drinking, talking on the phone, texting, emailing, and shaving or other grooming. A skilled Mississippi truck accident attorney can subpoena phone records to determine whether the trucker was using his or her phone near the time of the accident. Through witness interviews and scene investigation, your attorney will also investigate whether any other sort of distraction played a role in the accident.
- Drug use—a recent study examining the cause of truck accidents found that in 26% of crashes, use of either prescription or illegal drugs affected the driver’s reaction time. Drug use among truckers is notoriously high, and it is imperative that your attorney investigate the possibility drugs played a role in the accident.
The attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC have helped the innocent victims of commercial truck accidents obtain a full and complete recovery for decades. At Barrett Law, PLLC, we have the dedication, knowledge, and skill to lead our clients to success. Call us today at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule a free consultation.