Smaller Commercial Trucks Can Cause Fatal Accidents, Too

Truck accidents are always serious. The underlying cause varies; truck drivers can be distracted, fatigued, drunk or unlicensed, but the overriding cause is always the same. Big trucks cause big accidents. Commercial vans and small trucks can outweigh passenger vehicles by almost 10 times, while fully loaded tractor-trailers can be 40 times heavier than a car when fully loaded. Even small mistakes can have dire consequences.

Every day, our South Carolina truck accident attorneys help people who have been injured in collisions involving at-fault drivers. We also know that “smaller” commercial trucks – like delivery trucks, dump trucks and garbage trucks – can lead to fatal accidents just as easily as an 18-wheeler can.

A tragic loss of life in North Carolina

An accident in North Carolina’s Wake County shut down Route 401 for almost two hours on August 31 after a fatal wreck. WNCN CBS reported, “… the driver of the dump truck, Calvin Louis Woods Jr, 37, of Cary, was attempting to make a U-turn on the road, but was unable to successfully make the turn. Woods then attempted to back up on the road and re-position the truck so he could complete the turn. As he was backing up, a Nissan passenger car driven by Suzanne Nickol Baker, 33, of Raleigh, slammed into the back of the truck.”

In this case, the truck driver wasn’t impaired in anyway, road conditions were safe, and there was no catastrophic mechanical failure. Instead, the driver’s bad judgment killed Suzanne Baker. Woods was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and unsafe movement, but the charges are no consolation to the Baker’s family, especially daughters Delila, 5, and Laila, 9. Suzanne Baker was killed before her time because a truck driver made an avoidable error.

Accidents like these happen all the time; there are no small mistakes where big trucks are concerned. Commercial truck drivers pilot tons of metal and glass at ludicrously high speeds. It’s no wonder passengers involved in truck accidents can suffer:

• Head and neck injuries
• Spinal paralysis
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Loss of limb
• Organ damage
• Broken bones

The worst accidents, like the one above, leave parents childless and children parentless.

If your loved one was injured or killed in a commercial truck accident, the emotional toll can make handling expenses and paperwork confusing and next to impossible. You don’t have to face these challenges on your own. Demand justice. Expect more. Contact the experienced South Carolina truck accident attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, and schedule a free case evaluation. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can help you get your life back on track. Call 803-327-7800 or fill out our contact form today to find out more.