Sometimes, a car accident will cause traffic to back up for miles. When this happens, there is, of course, the immediate danger that other vehicles will collide with the crashed cars and pile onto the wreck. There is also the possibility that accidents will occur in the line of backed up traffic, especially if the drivers of some vehicles do not notice that there is traffic stopped ahead of them.
Last year, a horrific accident occurred when a tractor-trailer slammed into traffic that was backed up because of an accident. The wreck claimed the lives of five nursing students from Georgia who were traveling in two separate vehicles. Just recently, the company that employed the driver who is responsible for the deadly crash reached settlements in some of the wrongful death lawsuits that were filed by the victims’ families.
It is possible that this tragedy was the result of a poor hiring decision by Total Transportation of Mississippi. The company hired the driver, John Wayne Johnson, even though his previous employer had fired him for falling asleep at the wheel. As far as this accident is concerned, Johnson admitted that the deadly wreck was his fault. He claims that he was awake when the crash occurred, but he is unable to explain why he did not notice the traffic that had stopped ahead of him. Johnson also claims that his truck has a collision warning system that beeps if it gets too close to other vehicles. Johnson says that he did not hear the warning system before the crash. He also does not remember colliding with the two passenger vehicles that the nursing students were riding in, but he does remember hitting the back of a tractor-trailer that had stopped in traffic in front of those two vehicles.
This tragic accident is a sobering reminder that chain reaction accidents can occur at any time. Stop and go traffic contributes to many chain reaction accidents, and this one is no exception. Drivers can avoid some chain reaction accidents, but that is not always the case. In the wreck that killed the five nursing students, there was nothing they could have done that would have prevented the wreck. They were sitting in traffic, completely at the mercy of the drivers that were approaching them from behind. In other situations, drivers might be able to avoid chain reaction accidents by paying close attention to the driving conditions around them at all times, and being aware of traffic stopped ahead of them and slowing down as they approach it. Also, whether you are in stop and go traffic or traffic that is moving freely, be sure to leave adequate space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
Giddens Law Firm, P.A.: Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys
If you were injured or you lost someone that you love in a crash involving a tractor-trailer or other commercial vehicle, it is important that you contact a Mississippi trucking accident attorney right away. The company that owns the truck has a team of lawyers and other professionals working hard on their behalf, and you deserve to have an experienced professional in your corner to represent your interests. To learn more, call the Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys at the Giddens Law Firm, P.A. at (601) 355-2022.