On Jan. 30, a truck driver on the last leg of a cross-country trip was killed after he swerved from the roadway and overturned. According to a N.C. State Highway Patrol officer, the truck accident occurred just past exit 113 in the east lane of Interstate 40 around 6:50 a.m. The truck’s driver was pronounced dead at the accident scene. A passenger who had been in the truck’s sleeper compartment was transported to a local hospital. The passenger is expected to recover from his injuries. The two men had been on their way to Greensboro from California with a shipment of green tea when the accident took place.
Police do not suspect that a medical condition, weather conditions, alcohol or drugs were factors in the accident. According to investigators, the driver had only been a commercially licensed driver for around one month, and they suspect that his inexperience was the cause of the accident.
The accident was witnessed by another truck driver who said that the truck had passed him in the left lane just prior to the accident. According to the witness, as the truck moved ahead, it began to veer towards the median. The tractor-trailer struck the median guardrail and then its driver over-corrected, causing the truck to swerve off of the interstate and overturn.
While the driver’s inexperience may have caused this accident, there is also the possibility that a mechanical failure was a factor. If a fatal accident is caused by mechanical failure, the company that owns the truck might be held liable to pay compensation to the victim’s family. A personal injury attorney might review the accident report to determine if the victim’s family is entitled to a financial settlement.
Source: Hickory Record, “Crash claims truck driver; I-40 closed for five hours as authorities investigate fatal wreck“, January 30, 2014
