Month: May 2010

In another case of a driver not seeing a motorcyclist, this biker hit the back of a truck. He died shortly after the impact.

In this case a 57-year-old biker was out for a Saturday afternoon ride. About halfway along to his final destination, a teenager driving a pickup truck turned left right in front of the motorcyclist. The biker had no place else to go and couldn’t stop immediately and hit the right rear of the truck.
The force of the impact was so great that the biker was ejected and landed hard on the pavement. When the EMS crews arrived, they pronounced the man dead at the scene. The 18-year-old teen was not injured in this accident.

It isn’t clear why the teen turned right in front of the biker. Although if we had to guess based on the accident statistics involving cars and motorcycles, it would likely have been the fact that the teen driver didn’t even see the biker. Many car drivers don’t see motorcycles for a variety of reasons.
In this particular case, this accident may have happened because the teen just didn’t have the same amount of driving experience an older person would have had and was therefore not paying attention to the road or other traffic. The driver may have been distracted, talking on a cell phone, talking to a passenger, reaching for something in the backseat or picking something up off the floor. He may also have been speeding and driving in an unsafe manner.

On the other hand, the motorcyclist may also have been speeding or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He may also have had a problem with the bike that caused him to lose control because his brakes were not working. He may have slid on debris on the road or swerved to miss a pothole.
Even though some accidents look like open and shut cases on the surface, they usually aren’t. This is why a good motorcycle accident attorney does a complete investigation on his own, even over and above what the police do. The true facts of the case determine liability and negligence and are crucial to know if the case has the chance of going to court.

If you’ve been in a motorcycle crash, you will need legal representation. You can count on the fact that the insurance company will have a phalanx of lawyers handing out advice. Make sure you have your own lawyer to fight for your rights and proper compensation.

Tim Anderson works with Atlanta Personal Injury attorney, Stephen M. Ozcomert. The firm specializes in personal injury, malpractice, motorcycle accidents, and wrongful death. To learn more about Atlanta personal injury lawyer, Stephen M. Ozcomert, visit Ozcomert.com.

This accident was unusual, as it was a single vehicle 18-wheeler crash. It cost the trucker his life.

This 18-wheeler accident happened on I-95 in Oklahoma. The trucker was hauling equipment for country and western singer Carrie Underwood when his vehicle veered to the left shoulder and scraped along 400 feet of guardrail. During the impact, the fuel tank was torn open, igniting the diesel as it spilled. The flames consumed the driver side of the bus he was hauling, as his truck slammed into a bridge abutment.

The abutment was located right where the I-95 passes over another road. At that point, the trailer tumbled over the embankment and landed on the median of the road under the abutment, blocking both southbound lanes.

The driver, in his late 40s was charred beyond recognition and had to be identified through the use of dental records. Miss Underwood was thoughtful enough to sing a song at her performance that night in tribute to the trucker.

This was an awful accident, one that many eyewitnesses will recall with horror. It seemed to happen in slow motion, and while many onlookers could see what was happening, there was no way they could help the trucker as he burned to death. The chain of events that led the trucker to veer suddenly to the left has not been identified and there will be a full investigation into the circumstances.

Driving a big rig is not an easy job, nor does it traditionally pay that well given the economy of the nation today. Truckers drive long hours, have shorter breaks, are on very short turnaround times, and under enormous pressure to get their loads to their destination. This accident could have happened for a number of reasons ranging from a blown tire to a load that suddenly shifted, or from driver fatigue to a mechanical failure of some sort that caused him to veer left suddenly.

Unfortunately, with the number of big rigs on the roads these days, the number of accidents has shot up to seemingly keep deadly pace. Unsafe rig driving has become even more of an issue with more accidents involving oversize loads, improperly maintained trucks and driver error. Since the trucking industry is deregulated, and the pressure to deliver products is so high, truckers pull out all the stops to get the job done. Sadly, one in every eight highway deaths is attributed to a truck collision. Furthermore, if you take a look at the federal crash statistics, they reveal that just about 20% of 18-wheeler wrecks are because the trucker was speeding.

If you have been in an 18-wheeler accident, it’s very important to talk to an Atlanta personal injury lawyer who has experience in this area of law. While there are laws, rule and regulations to protect motorists from negligent truck drivers and their employers, the plaintiff needs to be able to prove it. You can’t do that without the help of a skilled Atlanta personal injury lawyer.

Tim Anderson works with Atlanta Personal Injury attorney, Stephen M. Ozcomert. The firm specializes in personal injury, malpractice, motorcycle accidents, and wrongful death. To learn more about Atlanta personal injury lawyer, Stephen M. Ozcomert, visit Ozcomert.com.