Kentucky Injury Law Blog

I-75 near Williamsburg, Kentucky was tied up for hours on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 when two accidents occurred within three miles of each other. The first truck accident was caused by one commercial truck rear-ending another semi at mile marker 1 in the southbound lanes. The truck driver that allegedly caused the accident was seriously injured and taken to a hospital in Tennessee by helicopter.

The second accident involved five vehicles including two semis, an RV with a trailer, a pickup truck and a van. Four of the five vehicles had slowed down due to the accident mentioned above. However the fifth vehicle, one of the tractor-trailers, did not stop and crashed into the pickup truck. This set off a chain reaction, resulting in the RV and one semi catching fire. One person was killed in this accident and three more were injured, including two who were taken to the University of Tennessee Hospital by helicopter.

Several factors will be involved in figuring out who was responsible for what in these accidents, particularly the second one. Because multiple vehicles were involved, investigators will need to determine who caused which part of the accident. Currently it appears that the second semi caused all of the damage in the second crash because news reports state that it hit all of the other vehicles involved. However, police and investigator reports will have to be reviewed before a final conclusion can be made. If more than one driver was at fault, separate claims or lawsuits may need to be filed against multiple drivers and their insurance carriers.

In both crashes, commercial trucks were involved, which means the companies that employed the drivers could be liable for part of the damages as well. If a truck was not properly maintained by the company and there was a mechanical malfunction, it may have contributed to the crash. Inexperienced drivers or drivers who have been driving longer than allowed by the law may cause truck accidents in which the company could be partially responsible. An inexperienced driver may not have learned how to respond in a situation involving slowed or stopped traffic. A driver who has not had enough sleep or had a break from driving may be drowsy and not able to react as quickly as necessary. The weight of the load being hauled by the truck could be a factor as well. Loads that are over the weight limit can make a truck harder to stop in an emergency situation.