Roanoke Personal Injury Law Blog

Truck accidents can cause catastrophic injuries and harm to victims, which is why it is essential for truck accident victims to be familiar with the legal protections available to them. Legal protections could help them with the physical, financial and emotional damages they have suffered.

Depending on the circumstances, truck drivers and trucking companies may be liable to compensate truck accident victims for the harm and damages they have suffered. Both trucking companies and truck drivers could be liable, depending on the cause of the truck accident. Victims of truck accidents could recover compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering damages.

The Virginia State Police are performing an investigation into a two vehicle collision that killed a woman, age 86. The fatal accident took place on August 13 at approximately 1:00 p.m. A Ford Taurus was heading southbound on Route 220, but failed to yield to oncoming traffic when executing a left-hand turn onto Route 614. The Ford collided with a Buick Regal, which had been heading northbound on Route 220.

A passenger in the Ford was taken to an area hospital, but she did not survive the crash. The driver of the Buick was also injured in the accident. The incident is being investigated with the assistance of the Virginia State Police Accident Reconstruction Team.

It is becoming all-too-common to hear of semi-truck accidents occurring in Virginia and across the nation. Despite tightening federal regulations on trucking regulations, one report indicates that over the past 10 years, the number of deadly large truck accidents in the United States is growing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that between 2009 and 2017, the number of deadly accidents involving large trucks rose 42%. In 2017, approximately 4,800 individuals lost their lives in such accidents.

These crashes come despite that throughout that time period, more sophisticated systems were being used to track the mechanical fitness of large trucks as well as safety violations that occurred throughout the country. It is suspected that driver error played a role in many trucks accidents.

According to one report, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is prevented, by law, from disclosing the manufacturer and names of dangerous products that many consumers in Virginia and across the nation have in their home. One prime example is the Fisher-Price Rock and Play Sleeper. While the sleeper has since been recalled, 32 infants died due to the defective product. According to the CPSC, it knew that the sleeper was causing fatalities as far back as 2009, one decade before the sleeper was taken off store shelves.

However, Section 6B of the Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits the agency from disclosing information about whether a product is safe while claims involving the product are under investigation. According to some, 6B keeps consumers in the dark, allowing them to unknowingly purchase dangerous products even if the manufacturer and CPSC are aware that the products are harmful.