A truck driver in Georgia who has been accused of hitting and killing a AAA contractor on the side of I-85 admitted that he nodded off behind the wheel of his rig.

The Georgia State Patrol stated Nov. 3 that a AAA worker had stopped on the Georgia interstate near Hamilton Mill Rd. to help a woman with a flat tire. Both were outside their vehicles when the big rig sideswiped one of the vehicles. The impact of the crash pushed the vehicle into the worker, killing him on impact.

The tractor trailer driver has been charged with 2nd degree vehicular homicide and failing to maintain his lane.

Our trucking accident personal injury law firm has represented many grieving families whose loved ones were killed by a negligent truck or bus driver who was distracted or fell asleep behind the wheel.

Some trucking and busing companies operate on very thin margins, and their drivers may be tremendously overworked. We read about a Richmond VA bus crash a few years ago where a SkyExpress bus ran off of I-95 in Caroline County, hit an embankment and killed several passengers.

The crash led government inspectors and agencies to look more closely at the questionable safety record of some of these low-budget bus companies. In that case, SkyExpress was eventually shut down due to its poor safety rating. It had had several violations in the past for poor driver qualifications, drug/alcohol compliance, and hours of service problems.

We hope that a day comes where all truck and bus companies do a far better job of making certain that their drivers are properly rested and are driving in a safe fashion. If not, our view is that the full resources of the state and federal governments should be used to punish the negligent companies to the full extent of the law.