Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer - Tractor-Trailer Accidents

18-Wheeler Jackknifes on I-35E in Dallas, Hits Motorists, Flips, Crashes, Burns, and Kills

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:12:23 GMT

About 1pm this afternoon, an 18-wheeler truck struck two parked cars on the shoulder of the southbound side I-35E in Dallas, Texas, then jackknifed, went through concrete barriers, flipped, crashed, and then caught fire in what is sure to be one of the most traumatic and deadly truck wrecks to occur recently in Dallas.

Pictures and helicopter views of the charred big rig are astounding - very little is left of the truck. The other two vehicles are unidentifiable in the carnage of this accident. I-35E was shut down while emergency crews cleared the scene; at this point, one woman did not survive the accident.

Our question is simple: why did the truck hit two parked cars on the shoulder? The accident occurred just north of the George Bush Turnpike where I-35 was been recently redone - the shoulders are fairly wide and the roads in good condition. Was the truck driver under an influence, whether exhaustion or some substance? Had the driver been driving too long? What other possible causes could exist for this senseless - and possibly needless - wreck?

Our Texas truck accident lawyers would love to find out.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:43:22 GMT

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Dallas Truck Accident Attorney: Semi Truck Crashes In North Texas

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:05:01 GMT

Interstate 35 was shut down yesterday after a tractor trailer accident occurred, overtunning a truck full of phosphoric acid, according to officials. The road was reopened after 1 p.m., over 8 hours after a pickup truck collided with the tanker on the southbound lanes of I-35E.

The tanker, which carried a chemical that removes rust from metal and can burn skin, didn't rupture and ended up coming to rest on its side near a median.

A spokesman for the police said that everyone was checked out and that there were no leaks, so there wasn't a hazardous materials problem.

Every lane of the highway near the accident was shut down this morning so that crews could offload the corrosive chemical onto another trailer. An entrance to the highway was shut down at Loop 288 at Corinth Parkway northbound.

Tractor trailer accidents can be disasters. These vehicles are massive and the damage they do can often end in injury or death.

Go here to view what to do when a tractor trailer accident happens.

If you or someone you know has been in a tractor trailer accident, contact a semi truck attorney now by filling out the short form to the right of this blog. You have the right to seek compensation for your injuries.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Why Might I Need a Semi Truck Accident Attorney?

Jeff Rasansky — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:38:13 GMT

Vehicular accidents are a serious issue. Nearly every part of the world must deal with this problem every year. Scores of people are either injured and lose their lives to this worldwide epidemic.

One type of accident that is the most catastrophic is semi-truck accidents. Large vehicles can be a great danger to other drivers and passengers. The sheer size and weight of these trucks can mean that accidents may result in serious, and possibly fatal, injuries. These accidents may occur as the result of a driver’s recklessness or negligence, dangerous conditions, or hazardous circumstances.

Many truck accidents are the result of the driver’s error. Some of the mistakes they make include:

• Driving without sufficient training or skills
• Driving faster than the speed limit
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Fatigue
• Improper securing of heavy loads
• Overloading

Some other causes of truck accidents may include machine failure, mechanical difficulties, poor weather conditions, hazardous road conditions, defective or damaged equipment, flammable substances or heavy cargo.

Semi truck accident victims often sustain severe injuries. People also lose valuable amounts of money for medical expenses, therapy and medication. They also lose potential income as full recovery from the injuries may take time.

If you have been involved in a semi truck accident, contact a semi truck accident attorney right away. Fill out the form to the right of this post with your details and a way to contact you, and someone will evaluate your case for free.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Dallas Semi Truck Accident Leaves Overpass Scorched

Jeff Rasansky — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:30:55 GMT

Engineers have been examining a South Dallas overpass that may have sustained damage after a gas truck crashed and exploded directly underneath it. Southbound traffic on Highway 310 at U.S. 175 was suspended this morning until the analysis of the damage was completed. Only one northbound lane of Highway 310 was open.

Texas Department of Transportation representatives say that chunks of concrete were still falling from the bridge, whcih was exposed to temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees fahrenheit for two hours.

The tanker was hauling more than 7,000 gallons of gasoline when it overturned and exploded at the infamous "Dead Man's Curve". A witness said that the tractor trailer tried to negotiate the curve too quickly, when the tanker flipped over and an explosion occurred. The driver of the truck claimed that one of his tires blew out prior to the wreck, although witnesses say that wasn't the case.

Two men pulled the truck driver to safety seconds before the truck exploded. The driver managed to get away with only minor cuts and bruises.

The black cloud of smoke could still be seen near downtown and by several thousand people at the State Fair.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Dallas Truck Accident Lawyer: News

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:35:58 GMT

Two people were killed after their car was slammed into by a tracter-trailer rig. The accident ended in flames and ended up shutting down Interstate 20 for around 12 hours.

After colliding with the car, the tractor-trailer plowed into three other 18-wheelers and exploded in flames at around 11:30, according to Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange.

Edward Corbet Koponen, 39, of Longview, and Edward Carroll Fielder, 49, of Maydelle were pronounced dead at the scene. Koponen was not wearing a safety belt when this happened.

The rig was being driven by Theodore Burton of Muskogee, OK and was traveling east bound when it struck Koponen's car. Burton was transported later to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. Currently, his condition is unknown.

Traffic was rerouted through Tyler until I 20 was reopened at about noon on Tuesday.

If you or someone you care about has been involved in a tractor trailer accident, contact a tractor trailer attorney right away. Simply fill out the evaluation form to the left of this blog and someone will contact you immediately.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Dallas Officer Collides With Semi Trailer

Jeff Rasansky — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:54:56 GMT

A Dallas officer is recovering from injuries after his car crashed into an 18-wheeler at the intersection of Lancaster Road and Interstate 20. He was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, according to Dallas police.

The officer was responding to a report that someone had broken into a vehicle when the car ran through a flashing red light signal. The truck had a flashing yellow signal when the two collided in the early hours of the morning.

The sergeant’s car slid under the semi truck, crushing the front of the car. He was trapped under the semi for around 40 minutes while rescue workers tried to free him.

Dallas police said they will be investigating the cause of the accident.

The officer told police that he attempted to stop when he saw the truck, but he could do nothing to prevent the collision. Police said that the slick roads might have been a contributing factor in the accident.

Lancaster Road was shut down in both directions early this morning. The westbound ramp from I-20 to Lancaster Road was also closed but no delays have been reported on I-20, according to TrafficPulse.com.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

About Semi-Truck Accidents

Jeff Rasansky — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:31:08 GMT

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Semi Truck Crashes into McDonald's

Jeff Rasansky — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:24:17 GMT

Wow. Watch out where you go to lunch!

An 18-wheeler crashed into a McDonald’s in Grand Prairie yesterday and injured two employees. Workers are still cleaning up the mess caused by the wreck.

The truck driver, 43-year-old Adrian Vasquez of Arlington , was not even in the cab of the truck when it rolled passed a car and slammed into a truck, finally coming to a rest halfway inside a McDonald’s restaurant.

Two of the employees were trapped under debris from the crash and had to be pulled out by emergency crews. One of them was treated at the scene, while the other was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

The driver claimed that he had engaged the emergency brake, but a commercial vehicle inspector found that not to be the case.

Semi-trucks are dangerous machines. They are massive and sometimes difficult to control if something goes wrong. Oftentimes they can cause catastrophic levels of damage and injuries when they crash. Deaths are very common in semi truck crashes.

If you or someone you care about has been injured by a semi-truck accident, contact a semi truck accident attorney by filling in the form to the right of this blog post.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Fatal Accidents the Result of Truckers' Poor Health

Jeff Rasansky — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:03:34 GMT

A new report was just released from the Associated Press today that reveals a growing problem among one of our nations key industries. Tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the US are driving our highways with commercial licenses even though they qualify for full federal disability payments.

Even worse is the fact that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has admitted that it has come up short in implementing the eight recommendations that U.S. safety regulators have proposed since 2001. One of these would set minimum standards for officials who determine whether truckers are medically safe to drive.

Truckers who have violated the medical rules set out by the government are everywhere, but 12 states have proven to be leaders in producing violations. Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, New Jersey, Minnesota and Ohio were all states where drivers broke the rules most often.

The AP article lists several appalling cases where truck drivers have caused fatalities as a result of their medical violations. In some cases morbidly obese truck drivers had heart attacks while others admitted to occasionally blacking out and forgetting things.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky