Losing a family member in a truck accident is a very traumatic event. Sometimes the accident photographs are so gruesome that I will not show them to the clients. But for those who have not been in an 18 wheeler accident it may be helpful to be given a front-row seat to the horrors of a big rig truck accident - if for no other reasons than as a way to instill a healthy respect for these mammoths with which cars share the highways.
While my law practice focuses on 18-wheeler accidents in Texas- and particularly the Houston area- a truck accident last year in neighboring Oklahoma bears review.
Last year, a truck driver who was 76 years old at the time was in his 10th straight hour of driving when he ran over a line of cars stopped ahead of him. The 76-year-old driver ran right through 5 cars crushing the cars and victims inside.
The aftermath from this truck accident- 10 people dead and multiple families ripped apart.
Reports indicate the trucker never even slowed down - he didn't recognize or see the cars stopped in front of him. There are no words to adequately describe the injustice this tragic accident.
As usual, when an accident of this magnitude takes place, much is talked about; everyone wants action - looking for ways to prevent this from happening again. Unfortunately, no one has adequately addressed the question not one wants to ask. Was age a factor in the truck accident?
The driver was short of eighty years old- is that to old to be behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck?
Some have suggested an age limitation for professional drivers of 65. Perhaps that would have some effect but there is little doubt that a 65 year old may be one of the safest age groups for driving statistically.
In this truck accident the 18-wheeler driver - who admits he didn't see the cars stopped in front of him -was tired from driving the long hours on the road and just not paying proper attention.
In all, truck driving is a business and vital to our country. The regulation of truckers is a fine line between safety on our highways and economically moving the goods we use across the nation.
Greg Baumgartner is a Houston truck accident attorney and the founder of the Houston personal injury law firm- The Baumgartner Firm, which dedicated to helping victims of serious accidents seek civil justice.
