Michael Leizerman’s Blog

Attorneys handling truck accident cases should be familiar with all the Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations. Of course just being familiar with the regulations is not enough. Attorneys must also conduct thorough discovery in order to apply those regulations to the facts of a specific case. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me at michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

Keyt.com reports that an Oxnard, California, tow truck driver on drugs hit a mom and her two toddlers around noon on Tuesday, August 31. The truck accident occurred in a crosswalk at Simon Way and Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard. He dragged the kids under his truck for almost a quarter mile before bystanders flagged him down. All three victims were hospitalized, the kids in critical condition. The driver faces DUI charges.

Portlandtribune.com reports that a semi truck caused a five-vehicle chain reaction crash that seriously injured a woman early Tuesday, August 31. The big rig was heading east on Highway 224 when it encountered slowing traffic at the Johnson Road intersection near Milwaukie, Oregon. The truck rear-ended a Honda Civic, pushing it into a utility trailer towed by a van, which pushed the van into a Toyota Prius, which slammed into another Civic. The teenager in the first Civic had to be cut out by firefighters and hospitalized.

Thetandd.com reports that a southbound dump truck hit a man heading northbound on Old Gilliard Road (SC 27) in Charleston, South Carolina, around 3:45pm on Wednesday, August 31. The 30-year-old man was pinned inside his vehicle and had to be removed by the Fire Dept. He died of internal injuries that night at the hospital.

Orlandosentinel.com reports that six people were injured on Thursday morning, September 2, when an 18-foot box truck rear-ended a mass transit bus.  Both vehicles were heading west on US 192 near the Westgate shopping complex in St. Cloud, Florida. The six were hospitalized with non-serious injuries.

Deseretnews.com reports that a dump truck T-boned and killed a man on Saturday, September 4, when it ran a red light in Brigham City, Utah. The truck, which was pulling a trailer, was heading west on US 91, and the victim was heading south on 775 West. The 60-year-old victim was dead at the scene of the truck accident.

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State trucking laws vary, and the need for qualified truck accident attorneys to understand all facets of a particular litigation is imperative. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

TheDailySound.com reports that three people including a child were killed when a big rig lost control coming off Highway 154 in Santa Barbara and slammed into the home where they were sleeping. The driver of the gravel-filled tractor-trailer managed to avoid a restaurant and a hotel but then rear-ended two cars before dropping 15 feet down an embankment before hitting the residence. The truck wreck, which happened just before 7am on Tuesday, August 24, also took out the neighborhood’s power and caused a gas leak.  A neighbor said, “It sounded like a train accident. There were no braking sounds, no resistance.”

TheNews-Messenger.com reports that a tractor-trailer hit and killed a pedestrian just after 1am on Thursday, August 26, in Milan Township, Ohio.  The big rig was heading north on US 250 near Mason Road. The pedestrian was declared dead at the scene.

Herald-Mail.com reports that a dump truck backed over a woman and killed her as she sat on her motorcycle. Having missed his turn into a construction site, the driver stopped, checked his mirrors, saw nothing, and then backed up. The woman, 48, who’d apparently been waiting for the truck to move, died as it crushed her. The truck accident happened at 7:32am on Thursday, August 26, in the 200 block of Commerce Avenue in Antrim Township, Pennsylvania.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that a trailer-less semi hit and mortally injured a bicyclist riding to work on Friday, August 27. The accident happened just before 6am as the truck was turning right onto westbound 2100 South. When the cyclist crossed the intersection, also heading west, the truck driver apparently didn’t see him — but later reported he’d felt an impact. Yet he dragged the cyclist about 130 feet before stopping to investigate. The cyclist, 47, was severely injured and died in the hospital later that day, leaving a wife, eight children, and two grandchildren.

MyFoxPhoenix.com reports that a big rig hit and seriously injured a motorcyclist, then sped off about 8pm Friday, August 27.  The truck accident happened in the 1700 block of NW Grand Avenue in Phoenix. Two other motorcyclists at the scene were not hurt. The driver returned to the scene later, saying he hadn’t realized there had been an accident until he stopped to unload his cargo.

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Trucking litigation is very document-intensive and governed by hundreds of regulations. Given this, the need for qualified truck accident attorneys to understand all facets of litigation is important. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me at michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

Cleveland.com reports that a big rig pulling three trailers rear-ended a passenger car heading eastbound on I-80 near Streetsboro, Ohio. The truck pushed the car into a freight truck and then into four more vehicles before a concrete barrier brought the disaster to a halt. The car went up in flames, and the driver was killed on the scene. Her teenage sons were hospitalized in critical condition. This truck accident happened just before noon on Monday, August 16.

Heraldonline.com reports that a truck driver died and two women were hospitalized on Monday, August 16, when a tanker truck carrying gasoline flipped, crashed, and burst into flames on I-77 South near Fort Mill, South Carolina. In the crash, the truck hit and landed on a sedan, but the two women in it were pulled from the wreckage and sent to a Rock Hill hospital. They were released the same day.

Oregonlive.com reports that a tractor-trailer loaded with wood chips on US 101 North lost control and slid across the opposing lanes, hitting a Ford Focus, then pushing a Nissan Sentra into a guardrail before crashing into a scenic pullout north of Florence, Oregon. The truck crash, which happened Wednesday, August 18, at about 10:15am, sent a pregnant woman and her husband (in the Focus) to the hospital, shook up a Swiss tourist (in the Sentra), and dumped a mountain of wood chips onto the highway.

Floridatoday.com reports that just before 2am on Thursday, August 19, a dump truck heading north on I-95 suffered a tire blowout, lost control, and crossed the median before coming to rest in the southbound roadway. The driver and a passenger managed to get out, but minutes later, a van hauling motorcycles slammed into the truck. That driver died on impact.  No skid marks were found, suggesting that he never even saw the dump truck. This deadly truck wreck happened on southbound Interstate 95 north of Stuckway Road in Mims, Florida.

Chicagotribune.com reports that a tractor-trailer rear-ended a Corvette on Chicago’s Bay Bridge westbound just before 5pm on Friday, August 20. The car driver was Medevacked to a local ER with non-life-threatening injuries.

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It takes a little fire in the belly to fight with truck companies and insurance companies day in and day out. I get personally offended when, for example, an insurance company offers a pittance when one of their insured’s vehicles crosses a centerline and kills somebody’s mother. But being passionate alone is not enough. The best way to beat the truck companies is old-fashioned hard work. Please feel free to contact me at michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

Stltoday.com reports that two Indiana big rig drivers were killed in a fiery four-truck accident in Madison County, Indiana. The chain reaction wreck began early Monday, August 9, on westbound I-70, when a semi plowed into a line of vehicles that had stopped for an earlier accident. It pushed a second semi into a pickup, and the pickup then rear-ended a third tractor-trailer. The first truck caught fire, and the driver and another man were trapped inside and perished. The pickup driver and another of the tractor-trailer drivers were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

WTKR.com reports that a pickup driver died just after 4am on Monday. August 9, after he slammed into a tanker truck that was backing up and blocking the roadway. The truck accident occurred in heavy fog outside of Suffolk, Virginia, on South Quay Road near Wyanoke Trail, just before the Blackwater Bridge.

Freep.com reports two people were hospitalized with serious injuries on Monday, August 9, when a cement truck rolled onto a passenger car on the Van Dyke Expressway, aka 22 Mile Road, west of M-53 near Shelby Township, Michigan. Police were not clear on what caused the afternoon truck accident.

Foxnews.com reports that a man was partially buried in 300-degree molten asphalt following a three-vehicle truck wreck Tuesday, August 10, in Dean Township, Pennsylvania. The dump truck tipped over onto the pickup, crushing its cab and trapping the hurt driver inside. Then the asphalt started pouring into the cab. The man was up to his waist in blacktop when the construction crew shoveled him out. He is now in a Pittsburgh hospital.

Newarkpostonline.com reports that three people were injured the morning of Thursday, August 12, in Bear, Delaware, when their car struck a dump truck trying to turn left from northbound Route 72 onto Porter Road. The car driver and his two passengers were all hospitalized but stable after the truck accident; the truck driver was unharmed. Police are still investigating the cause of the collision

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that three people were injured when a construction truck slid off an overpass and hit a passenger car north of Lehi, Utah, on Thursday night, August 12. The southbound truck was pulling a message board on the northbound side of a closed section of I-15. The driver seems to have thought he was in a traffic lane but was in fact was on the shoulder — until the truck slid down a steep embankment and landed on State Road 92, where it hit a passenger car. Both drivers and passenger in the truck were injured; all three were taken to a hospital.

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State trucking laws vary, and the need for qualified truck accident attorneys to understand all facets of a particular litigation is imperative. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

Chron.com reports that a Houston MTA tow truck slammed into a pickup truck and killed its 64-year-old passenger.  The truck crash happened Tuesday, August 3, near Scott and the South Loop, after the pickup stopped suddenly for a pedestrian. The pickup’s driver was hospitalized. The tow truck driver, who failed an alcohol test after the wreck, had been cited for 19 violations since 2002, including nine for speeding. He was fired the day after the crash.

WasecaCountyNews.com reports that a cement landscaping block fell off a flatbed truck eastbound on Highway 14 near Owatonna, Minnesota, and crashed through the windshield of a westbound van, killing the 17-year-old passenger on impact. The truck accident happened on a curved section of the road on Tuesday, August 3. The same truck driver was cited last December when a block fell off his truck. In both cases, the blocks were reportedly strapped down.

DailyHerald.com reports that a dump truck’s rear wheels struck and killed a woman  early Friday, August 6. She was pushing her bike across West Main Street/Route 64 where it crosses North 2nd Street/Route 31 in St. Charles, Illinois. The trucker dragged the 69-year-old woman for a block until other drivers stopped him. She was declared dead at the scene of the accident.

BND.com reports that a tractor-trailer crashed into a U-Haul truck and pushed it into a pickup as the two smaller vehicles were slowing (or possibly stopped) in traffic. All three vehicles caught fire. An SUV behind them managed to stop before the three-way collision, but then a flatbed semi-truck pushed it into the first 18-wheeler. The five-vehicle accident happened at midday Friday, August 6, on Interstate 64 West near New Baden, Illinois. The tractor-trailer driver suffered serious injuries and landed in a St. Louis hospital, while the flatbed driver sustained minor injuries.

DGlobe.com reports that a farm truck hit and killed a motorcyclist at the intersection of 280th Street and Nystrom Avenue near Org, Minnesota, the morning of Thursday, August 5. Police at the scene of the accident were unable to tell which direction the motorcycle had been going and even what make it was, because the impact destroyed it so completely.  The intersection is known for poor visibility and reportedly has just one stop sign.

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Attorneys handling truck accident cases should be familiar with all the Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations. Of course just being familiar with the regulations is not enough. Attorneys must also conduct thorough discovery in order to apply those regulations to the facts of a specific case. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me at michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

Mcall.com (the Morning Call) reports two people died in the Poconos early Friday morning, July 30, in a pair of accidents that shut down I-380 near Coolbaugh Township, Pennsylvania. Around 4am, a northbound tractor-trailer drifted out of its lane and hit a southbound SUV. As the SUV sat on the roadway, a southbound semi crashed into it. The SUV driver was pulled from the wreckage and flown to a local hospital. Half an hour after the first accident, as traffic stacked up around the disaster, another SUV was slowing for the snarl when an 18-wheeler rear-ended it. The impact killed both people in the SUV and pushed it into another SUV; the second SUV’s occupants were unharmed.

MyFoxBoston.com reports that a flatbed tow truck fatally rear-ended a Honda stopped at a red light Friday afternoon, July 30, setting both vehicles on fire. The driver and front-seat passenger escaped the blaze and were taken to a hospital, but another passenger died in the rear seat of the car. The wreck happened on the Lynnway near Revere, Massachusetts. The truck driver was unhurt in the crash.

Suntimes.com reports that seven people were hospitalized after a three-vehicle accident on Saturday, July 31 in Lake County, Indiana. When a Chevy SUV eastbound in the right lane of 1-80 slowed down in traffic, a Dodge SUV behind it was rear-ended by a semi-box trailer. As the crash pushed the Dodge off to the right, the semi lost control and jack-knifed around both smaller vehicles, hitting the Chevy, breaking through a barrier wall off the shoulder, and eventually coming to a stop on top of the Dodge. The Dodge was totaled and the family of five in it hospitalized, as were the semi driver and the Chevy driver. The child in the Chevy escaped harm, thanks to a child seat.

Stargazette.com reports that a northbound dump truck turned into the path of a southbound sedan on Route 415 in Campbell, New York, causing a crash that investigating deputies called unavoidable. The car’s driver and a passenger were hospitalized in serious condition, but another passenger in the rear seat, an 80-year-old woman wearing no seat belt, died at the hospital shortly after the wreck. The accident happened at 2pm Saturday, July 31.

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Trucking litigation is very document-intensive and governed by hundreds of regulations. Given this, the need for qualified truck accident attorneys to understand all facets of litigation is important. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me at michael@leizerman.com or call me at:
1-800-628-4500.

Startribune.com reports that on Tuesday, July 20, a wide-load combine towed by a semi killed a Brown University senior taking a break from her transcontinental fundraising bike ride. The woman had cycled more than 2,200 miles and was standing on the shoulder of the road, checking her voicemail, when the protruding machinery hit and killed her. The accident happened on Hwy. 18 on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

KCRA.com reports that a flipped big rig caused accidents, injuries, and a huge traffic snarl when its load of PVC pipes spilled all over Highway 5 South between Woodland and Sacramento, CA. Two cars were caught up in the crash on Tuesday, July 20, as was another semi, which appeared to have been impaled by some of the pipes. Three people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

WVGazettemail.com reports that a semi carrying coal crossed the center line on W. Va. 61 and slammed into an SUV on Wednesday, July 21, seriously injuring the driver and his passenger, both 19. The accident happened near Beards Fork, WV. HealthNet flew both victims to a Charleston Hospital. Sheriff’s deputies believe the 26-year-old semi driver, who was not injured, was distracted when he caused the crash.

KPTV.com reports that a dump truck struck and killed a woman as she pulled out onto Highway 30 near Warren, OR, in the early hours of Thursday, July 22. She was declared dead at the scene of the crash; her sole passenger was hospitalized. The truck driver was not injured. The highway was closed for about six hours for the investigation and cleanup.

KXXV.com reports that a woman died in a collision with an 18-wheeler on Thursday, July 22, on Loop 340 in Bellmead, TX. The driver of the chicken truck was not injured. It is not clear who was at fault in the fatal crash.

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Attorneys handling truck accident cases should be familiar with all the Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations. Of course, just being familiar with the regulations is not enough. Attorneys must also conduct thorough discovery in order to apply those regulations to the facts of a specific case. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me at michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

STLToday.com reports that a semitrailer caused a seven-vehicle pile-up on Saturday, July 17, when it failed to slow for construction traffic and hit a second semi that had stopped on I-57 near West Frankfort, Illinois. A third tractor-trailer carrying asphalt hit the first one, and then a fourth truck, also bearing asphalt, hit the third. The first semi caught fire, and the flames spread to three passenger vehicles, whose occupants sustained injuries. The drivers of the first two trucks died at the scene of the crash.

KCRG-TV.com reports that a trailer came loose and killed the driver of a car heading in the opposite direction. The accident happened Saturday, July 17, on Balltown Road south of Balltown, Iowa. The semi driver and the car’s passenger were both unhurt. In 2003, that same truck driver was involved in another fatal crash, when a backhoe slid off a flatbed trailer he was towing and struck a car, killing the passenger and injuring the driver.

Examiner.com reports that on Sunday, July 18, an 18 wheeler struck a pickup truck on I-10 near Lake Charles, Louisiana, leaving it damaged and stalled in a traffic lane. A second semi hit the pickup from behind, throwing the passengers (a woman and her daughter) into the median. They were taken to a local hospital with injuries.

KCSG.com reports that a semi speeding on I-15 near Pintura, Utah, killed a vacationing couple on Sunday, July 18. When the truck driver hit his brakes, his rear trailer swung out into oncoming traffic and hit a Kia SUV head-on. The crash totaled the car and killed its occupants, an older married couple from Pennsylvania.

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It takes a little fire in the belly to fight with truck companies and insurance companies day in and day out. I get personally offended when, for example, an insurance company offers a pittance when one of their insured’s vehicles crosses a centerline and kills somebody’s mother. But being passionate alone is not enough. The best way to beat the truck companies is old-fashioned hard work. Please feel free to contact me at michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

ABC 6 On Your Side reports that a semi slammed into a Ford Focus on U.S. 23 in Pickaway County, Ohio, killing a passenger in the Ford and injuring its driver. The Ford was entering a Wal-Mart parking lot when the truck crash happened. The Ohio Department of Transportation is working with Pickaway County Sheriffs officials to investigate the truck accident.

Tracy Press reports that a semi-truck slammed into a minivan on Grant Line Road in Tracy, California, injuring three people including a child who was trapped inside the van following the truck crash. The accident occurred at an intersection whose traffic signal lights were out due to a power failure. Tracy Police pointed out that when a traffic light fails the intersection becomes a four-way stop. They are continuing their investigation of the truck accident at this time.

TheINDYChannel.com reports that a tractor-trailer rear-ended a passenger vehicle on State Road 37 near Bloomington, Indiana, killing the car’s 31-year-old driver. The passenger vehicle was slowing to pull into a gas station when the big rig crashed into it from behind. A passenger in the car was transported to a local hospital with a bone fracture, lacerations, and severe cuts. Police investigators are continuing to review the truck accident.

St. Tammany News reports that an 18-wheeler crossed the median on Interstate 59 north of Pearl River, Louisiana, entered the opposite flow of traffic, and crashed into a Dodge Ram pickup, killing four people in that pickup. A spokesman for the Louisiana State Police stated that it is believed the right front tire on the semi blew out or came loose, causing the big rig’s driver to lose control and cross the median. The impact of the truck crash mangled the pickup truck beyond recognition.

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State trucking laws vary, and the need for qualified truck accident attorneys to understand all facets of a particular litigation is imperative. I have handled numerous truck accidents throughout the United States, many of them similar to those noted below. Please feel free to contact me michael@leizerman.com or call me at 1-800-628-4500.

Mansfield NewsJournal.com reports that a semitrailer failed to stop for traffic flagged to a stop on Ohio 13 north of Richland County, Ohio, and slammed into at least nine vehicles before coming to rest in a field where it burst into flames. Several people, including children, from several of the vehicles were injured, some very seriously. Ohio Highway Patrol officers reported that no citations were issued, but that the truck accident investigation is ongoing.

Vcstar.com reports that a tractor-trailer rig pulled in front of a van on the Pacific Coast Highway north of Ventura, California, causing the van to crash into the truck and injuring two teens in the van. The California Highway Patrol reports that the semi-truck was stopped on the shoulder and failed to yield when it pulled back onto the PCH. The driver of the van was trapped and was freed by firefighters. He was treated at a nearby hospital for arm and leg fractures and cuts and bruises to his head.

Jconline.com reports that a semi-trailer tipped over on U.S. 24 near West Lafayette, Indiana, crushing a minivan and injuring its driver. The truck crash was caused by excessive speed as the driver of the big rig took a curve at high speeds, causing his semi-trailer to overturn. Indiana State Police cited the big rig’s driver for driving too fast for conditions.

Omaha.com reports that a semitrailer truck crashed into a turning vehicle on Highway 15 north of Schuyler, Nebraska, killing a passenger in the vehicle and critically injuring the vehicle’s driver. The truck accident is under investigation by the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska State Patrol.

The Denver Post.com reports that the driver of a big rig caused an accident on I-70 in Mesa County, Colorado when he placed reflective emergency triangles on the roadway, causing a car to overturn in its attempt to avoid them, and resulting in the death of a passenger in that vehicle. The Colorado State Patrol states that the big rig’s driver placed the emergency triangles in a traffic lane of the interstate rather than on the shoulder where his broken-down semi was parked. The triangles were around a curve. The passenger vehicle rounded the curve, swerved to avoid the triangles, overturned, and crashed into a second vehicle. The passenger in the first vehicle was thrown from that vehicle and died after being airlifted to a nearby hospital. The driver of the vehicle was also injured, but there is no word on her condition. The Colorado State Patrol reports that the driver of the big rig will face negligent homicide charges following this truck accident.

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