A truck driver who was licensed in Louisiana caused a fatal accident on Oct. 1 when he crossed over the center line and struck a pickup truck head on. The accident took place in Concordia Parish while the truck driver was operating a loaded logging truck. Three occupants of the pickup truck were killed, and a fourth sustained serious injuries.
During the week that the truck accident occurred, the truck driver had worked beyond his legal hours-of-service limit. He had also been violating the daily duty regulation when the crash took place by driving for longer than 14 hours straight. The truck that was involved in the accident was found to have faulty brakes, a defective steering system, a cracked frame and defective wheels.
Following the fatal accident, the Federal Motor Carrier Administration deemed the truck driver an imminent public safety hazard. The driver is no longer allowed to drive a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Drivers who violate an imminent hazard order could face financial penalties and have their commercial drivers licenses suspended.
When a person is injured in a truck accident like the one in this case, the injured victim may choose to file personal injury claim for financial compensation. An attorney may be able to help a truck accident victim to pursue a claim against all of the liable parties. When a commercial truck driver is responsible for causing an auto accident, the responsible parties may include the truck driver as well as the trucking company itself under the theory of vicarious liability.
Source: Truckinginfo, “Trucker Violated HOS Limits on Day of Fatal Crash,” Oct. 16, 2015
