An entire family of four died in Lexington, North Carolina on May 16 when they were hit by a tractor trailer that apparently failed to slow down in a construction zone.
The North Carolina State Police reported that three adults and two children in total were killed in the six-vehicle wreck on I-95 in Robeson County, North Carolina, close to the South Carolina state line.
The state police stated that the wreck involving serious personal injury and death happened when a Volvo tractor trailer going south on I-95 in a work zone did not reduce speed. It slammed into a pickup truck, which then smashed into two SUVs.
The big rig then hit a tractor trailer, and was pushed into another truck. Gasoline in the tanker caught fire and the Volvo ran onto the shoulder and caught fire.
The North Carolina State Police identified the deceased family as a 32-year-old female, a 24-year-old male, and two daughters who were one and four years old.
Witnesses stated that the flames from the Volvo truck ignited fuel in other vehicles. The fire spread on the median grass and then ignited a wooded area by the interstate.
Three people in one of the SUVs had serious injuries, but they were reported in stable condition as of May 17.
The tractor-trailer driver also died.
Our View
All of our personal injury attorneys in North Carolina send our condolences to the families of those who died in this horrible tractor trailer accident.
This terrible truck accident is a grim example of what can happen when a tractor trailer driver fails to drive safely in a construction zone with traffic.
A tractor trailer can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. If the truck is speeding and fails to slow for traffic, the resulting accident is often fatal.
We only can speculate at this time about the cause of the crash, but the police stated that the truck driver apparently failed to slow in a construction zone. There are many reasons why this could be the case, but it is likely that the trucker was simply not paying attention to the road in front of him.
Distracted driving is always a very dangerous thing, but with a tractor trailer at highway speed, it is often an utter catastrophe.
Far too many truck drivers are distracted behind the wheel by cell phones, the radio, food, drinks, passengers, or even by falling asleep.
All truckers need to watch the road while they are driving. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys often handle these tragic cases, such as this $2.25 million settlement.
Trucking companies can be sued if they or their driver is found negligent in civil court. We hope the families in this terrible truck accident consider legal action.
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.
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