Three separate dump truck accidents in North Carolina on Sept. 3 claimed three lives, according to police. In one, the truck driver ran off the road. In a second mishap, a construction worker died. In the third accident, a motorist was killed by falling debris.
In the first incident, the driver of a dump truck was hauling a load of soil when he suddenly came upon a vehicle in the road waiting to make a left turn. Police said that he locked the truck’s brakes and ran off the road, whereupon the truck overturned. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In a separate accident elsewhere in the state, a construction worker became pinned by the rear of a dump truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Finally, in the third North Carolina incident, a rock fell off the back of a dump truck and smashed through the windshield of a car driving nearby. The car’s occupant was also pronounced dead at the scene.
A truck accident can be caused by truck driver fatigue, an inattentive truck driver or by a trucker speeding on North Carolina roads. A drunk truck driver can also be a major menace to other vehicles and to pedestrians. Because of the size and weight involved in a dump truck or 18-wheeler accident, a head-on collision with a passenger car can mean serious injuries or death. An attorney experienced in litigation after a truck crash may be able to help those affected. Such a lawyer might be able to arrange financial compensation for accidents involving an unqualified truck driver, negligent truck maintenance or defective auto parts.
Source: News & Record, “Stokesdale accident among 3 fatal N.C. crashes involving dump trucks“, September 04, 2013