A man and woman were badly injured this past week after a semi-truck struck the couple’s pickup on an Interstate Highway in Arizona. Though the exact details of the accident remain unclear, it was reported by witnesses that the truck driver was slumped over while behind the wheel just before the truck accident occurred as the semi-truck crossed the highway median.
A fire department spokes person stated that the driver possibly suffered a medical episode or fell asleep while driving the semi-truck. Though the truck driver appeared to have only sustained minor injuries in the crash, the man and woman were taken to the Kingman Regional Medical Center for treatment of traumatic injuries. Rescue crews had to extricate the two individuals in the pickup before transportation to the medical facility could take place.
The driver of the semi-truck was 72-years old. Though age may or may not have been a factor, employers that hire truck drivers must make certain that the driver is in reasonably good health before allowing them to drive a big-rig.
Semi-trucks are difficult to operate to begin with. These vehicles are difficult to stop and to navigate curves. Visibility is often limited because of the number of blind spots that the size of a semi-truck presents.
Unfortunately, trucking companies also ask their drivers to travel long distances and work long shifts. Exhaustion is a common problem among these drivers, and fatigue often leads to accidents happening. And accidents involving semi-truck often result in severe and debilitating injuries.
Employers of truck drivers can be held liable for injuries to others when the employer has not carefully hired the drivers it employs. Please ask an experienced personal injury attorney questions about the liability of companies or individual truck drivers if an accident does occur.
Source: Daily Miner, “Two hospitalized after I-40 crash,” by Doug McMurdo, June 7, 2013