Trucker Given Jail Time Over Wreck

According to reporting in Tri-Cities, a trucker who was found to have been responsible for a two vehicle accident on Interstate 77 has been given one year in jail. The trucker was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Normally, in such situations, the guidelines would recommend that the person responsible be given probation, rather than prison time. This particular trucker, however, had a criminal history, according to the report, and that’s what led prosecutors to seek out a stiffer penalty.

The accident involved two vehicles, one of which was being driven by a 56-year-old man who died in the collision. At the time of the collision, the trucker was utilizing a turnaround on the interstate that is reserved for authorized vehicles. While most truck drivers are very good at what they do and make every effort to keep the roadways as safe as possible, there are those who do take dangerous actions and it’s important to realize that there are measures that people can take to stay safe when they come upon these situations.

Slow Down

If you see a truck doing something suspicious, make sure you slow down until you know what’s going on. A great many traffic accidents are caused because a driver overestimates their ability to stop or their ability to drive at speed. In the case of this accident, the truck was using a turnaround that is not normally used by such vehicles and, because of that, there’s good reason that it should set off an alarm for anyone paying attention. This doesn’t mean it was the fault of the drivers that they got killed, but it does demonstrate that paying attention can go a long way toward staying alive.
If you do see semi trucks swinging out into a lane to their left, slow down until you know whether or not they’re attempting to make a right turn. These vehicles have to swing very wide to make such a turn and, if you’re not careful, you could find yourself alongside the semi as it’s turning, which could be fatal if it collides with your car.
If you have been in an accident involving a semi truck, a Dallas truck wreck lawyer can investigate the matter and see whether or not filing a lawsuit would be sensible. It doesn’t matter whether or not the trucker is convicted of a crime, you can still file a lawsuit against them.