Tractor-Trailer Accidents

• Fredericksburg Tractor Trailer Crash Yields Jail Time for Truck Driver

  Michael Phelan | October 27, 2009 10:23 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  On February 2, 2009, a tractor trailer truck loaded with 83,000 pounds of sand ran a red light on U.S. 17 and killed a Stafford, Va. woman. The truck driver told police he thought the light was...

• If You Thought Texting While Driving Was Dangerous...

  Michael Phelan | September 28, 2009 3:15 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  What could possibly be more dangerous than a teenager texting while driving? how about the driver of an 18 wheeler tractor trailer truck using a computer keyboard on his lap while driving. Hundreds...

• Motor Carrier Broker Liable for Negligent Hiring of Tractor Trailer Truck Driver

  Michael Phelan | June 18, 2008 11:36 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Virginia law recognizes a claim for the negligent hiring of an employee or an independent contractor. With respect to independent contractors, the Virginia Supreme Court recognized a rule of...

• Retroreflective tape: How Visible are Heavy Trailers at Night?

  Michael Phelan | May 26, 2008 7:50 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  The term "heavy trailers" means trailers that are at least 80 inches wide and have Gross Vehicle Weight Rating over 10,000 pounds. I once handled a case in which a tractor trailer driver attempted...

• Federal Regulators Miss Chance to Lower Truck Accidents

  Michael Phelan | December 20, 2007 4:23 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Driver fatigue is a leading cause of tractor trailer truck accidents. Consumer advocates sued recently to require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to lower the current 11-hour driving limit to 10 hours. The requested change would have resulted in one less hour behind the wheel each day. The Teamsters union supports the lower limit. Alas, the Bush Administration once again...

• Fatal Truck Crash Results in $36.3 million Verdict

  Michael Phelan | December 05, 2007 2:57 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  On a clear day in April 2004, a father of eight kids and owner of a plumbing supply company, was driving his Chevrolet Suburban and obeying the rules of the road. At the same time, a driver of a Swift Transportation tractor-trailer drove 65 mph across three sets of rumble strips designed to warn of an approaching stop sign, ran the stop sign, and crashed into the Suburban, killing the father. ...

• Truck Accidents Caused By Driver Fatigue

  Michael Phelan | July 25, 2007 3:08 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  About 100 people die each week in truck accidents. Despite this alarming statistic, the Bush Administration once again succumbed to pressure from lobbyists (this time the American Trucking Association) and, in 2005, adopted new rules permitting tractor trailer truck drivers to drive 11 hours per day. Safety experts and insurance industry analysts challenged the new rules on grounds that the...

• The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin.: Six Years Later, the Roads are No Safer from Truck Crashes

  Michael Phelan | March 13, 2007 4:07 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  A study released by two truck and highway safety advocacy groups showed that U.S. fatalities from truck accidents have remained consistent at 100 per week from 1999 (when the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was created) through 2005. This week, families of truck crash victims are lobbying Congress and the Bush Administration to create stricter safety rules. The advocacy groups seek...

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin. Has History of Ignoring Safety Warnings

  Michael Phelan | February 23, 2007 9:15 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  After completing its investigation of the tragic bus fire that killed 23 elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees, the National Transportation Safety Board on February 21st called on the Federal Motor Carrier Motor Safety Administration to promulagate stronger safety regulations for buses and large trucks. The FMCMSA is charged with reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and...

• Three People Killed in Fiery Tractor Trailer Truck Crash on Interstate 66

  Michael Phelan | February 01, 2007 9:51 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  At 3:50 a.m. Tuesday morning, a tractor trailer traveling west on I-66 in Fairfax crashed into the rear of a Jeep Wrangler, knocking the Wrangler into a Volvo. The Wrangler and Volvo burst into flames. The driver of both the Wrangler and Volvo plus a passenger in the Volvo were killed. This brings to 61 the total number of people killed on Virginia highways in 2007. While the State Police...