A fully loaded log truck smashed into a tractor trailer near Savannah TN on Dec. 16, killing the tractor trailer driver and leaving the other driver with serious injuries.

The Tennessee State Police reported that the log truck was going west on on Pyburns Drive when it went left of center and smashed into the tractor trailer. Neither man was wearing a seatbelt, and the tractor trailer driver died at the scene.

The state police are continuing to investigate the accident.

I am a Virginia-based truck accident attorney who has represented many truck crash victims in the last decade. Those personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits have taught me that few things are more dangerous than a big rig driver being distracted behind the wheel, or falling asleep behind the wheel, and losing control of a 50,000 pound rig.

Cases like these really have no winners. Even if the log truck driver is convicted in a court of law, that will never bring that person back to his family. Fortunately, those who have lost a loved one in an accident such as this can file a legal claim against the other driver and his employer in civil court.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a careless truck driver who was distracted from the road, we have assembled this helpful guide called Distracted Driving – Risks & Common Factors. This guide will teach you about the laws in North Carolina and Virginia pertaining to texting and driving and other distractions that lead to deadly truck crashes.

After reading this guide, we hope that you will have a better understanding of your legal rights if you or a loved one are injured or killed by a reckless truck driver.