The North Carolina Highway Patrol has charged a tractor trailer driver in an accident that killed a teenager in Gaston County last week.
State troopers reported that the driver of the big rig was pulled over on the shoulder of I-85, a few miles south of Bessemer City. As he merged back into traffic, he pulled into the path of a box truck. The driver of the small truck swerved and slammed into the rear of the trailer, killing the teenage passenger. The driver of the box truck was the teen’s father.
The tractor trailer driver has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle; the charges could be upgraded to felony involuntary manslaughter when the investigation is complete.
Our View
Our hearts go out to the family of the teenager in this terrible truck accident. As truck accident attorneys in North Carolina and Virginia, we know the importance of truck drivers obeying the rules of the road to prevent accidents.
The Virginia Commercial Driver’s Manual stresses the importance of truck drivers using their mirrors to check traffic around them. This is especially important when changing lanes, merging, and seeing where the rear of the vehicle is when making turns.
Truck drivers also should know that it takes a long time for a big rig to get up to highway speed, so they have to use special caution when merging back into traffic.
When a truck driver does not obey the rules of the road to the letter, serious injuries and death often result. While there is nothing that can be done to bring back the truck accident victim, a wrongful death lawsuit can be useful to provide essential funds for the family. There are often several insurance policies in effect in a truck accident, and those policies can be tapped to provide compensatory damages for those left behind.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
Comments for this article are closed.