Big Trucks Cause Big Accidents
On May 20, a major accident near Clarksville caused the entire westbound side of Interstate 24 to be closed for about six hours. Three tractor trailers were involved in the accident, along with a box truck. As a result of the road closure, traffic had to be diverted along alternate routes, and drivers experienced backups up to twenty five miles long.
Any type of multiple vehicle accident can cause a roadway to be blocked for a while, but the reason that this particular accident caused such a long road closure is that there were multiple tractor trailers involved. Clearing the road after a crash involving several of these enormous vehicles require a great deal of effort, along with specialized heavy equipment. Also, before the road can be cleared, police and investigators need time to assess the accident scene so that they can determine what happened.
The manner in which this accident happened is a classic chain reaction accident scenario, where one collision occurs and then other vehicles become involved in the accident afterwards. This accident is also an example of how chain reaction accidents can occur when traffic in an area is stopped or moving slowly. The accident happened just before eleven in the morning, and traffic had slowed to a standstill in the right lane. While the right lane of traffic was stopped, a box truck tried to move from the right lane into the left lane, where it was hit by an oncoming tractor trailer. The box truck collided with a tractor trailer which was sitting in the right lane of stopped traffic, and the tractor trailer which had struck the box truck also hit another trailer truck.
Surprisingly, although there was quite a bit of property damage which resulted from this accident and although it happened on a fairly crowded stretch of road when a lane of traffic was stopped, only one person, the driver of the box truck, was injured. This is likely because the vehicles which were involved in the accident were not moving very fast at the time of the crash. If the road was busy and traffic had been moving at speeds which were closer to the posted speed limits, the same type of accident could have been much, much worse.
In this particular situation, the only vehicles which were involved in the wreck were commercial vehicles. Often, when there is a chain reaction accident involving a tractor trailer, there are one or more passenger vehicles involved. It is therefore important for drivers of passenger vehicles to understand what to expect should they have the misfortune of being involved in an accident like this one. The most important thing that drivers of passenger vehicles can remember about trucking accidents is that although they should speak with police at the scene of the accident, it is best not to speak with anyone else, such as accident investigators, until you are represented by counsel.
If you have been injured or someone that you love has been killed in a trucking accident, it is essential that you speak with an attorney right away. The knowledgeable Memphis Trucking Accident Attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC will sit down with you to learn about your case, explain your options, and help you decide how to proceed. To learn more, call us at 901-680-9777 to schedule a time to discuss your case. At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
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