A driver was critically injured this past Friday, November 4, 2011 after slamming into a tractor trailer. The crash occurred in the early morning as a woman was driving her Ford Explorer south in the northbound lanes of I-85. She was driving near Braselton in Jackson County.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as the woman drove along the wrong way on the highway, she clipped a tractor-trailer and then hit a second 18 wheeler and a Chevrolet van.
The wrong-way driver was ejected from her Ford Explorer and was critically injured. The identity of this wrong-way driver is yet to be released. Police are currently investigating this tractor-trailer crash and suspect that alcohol may have been involved in the crash. Fortunately, there were no other serious injuries reported with the other drivers and vehicles.
Crews spent several hours cleaning up fuel that spilled from one of the trucks, which left the highway closed for two hours. The highway reopened at 5 a.m.
Accidents involving tractor trailers can be very dangerous. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, one out of nine traffic fatalities last year resulted from a collision involving a large truck or semi. Last year in the United States alone, 380,000 large trucks were involved in crashes and 4,229 people died along with 90,000 people injured as a result of a trucking crash. Tractor-trailer and trucking accidents can be more dangerous in comparison to car accidents. They are more likely to include serious injury because they weigh more and at times carry chemicals or flammable liquids.
A statute of limitations is the given time period during which a legal action can be made. If the time period ends, it is a complete bar to any recovery if your case is not completely settled or the lawsuit is not served on the appropriate parties prior to the expiration date. Georgia has a statute of limitations of two years with truck accidents.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a truck accident, you may want to contact our Georgia Trucking Attorneys to see how they can help protect your legal rights. In addition to providing a free review of your claim, our Truck Accident Lawyers can also provide valuable insight into dealing with your injuries and precautions you should consider.