A retired firefighter from Ashland, Kentucky died in a violent four vehicle wreck on I-75 in Kentucky that involved three tractor trailers.

The former firefighter was driving a Dodge Caravan that was rear ended by a big rig, which caused the Caravan to smash into another tractor trailer. The man died at the scene and his passenger was flown to a local hospital with serious injuries.

The Kentucky State Police stated that traffic had slowed on I-75 due to another accident. It appeared that the first tractor trailer did not stop in time for traffic, which led to the crash.

Our Virginia truck accident law firm sees all too many fatal crashes that are caused by truck drivers apparently not paying attention to the road in front of them. There is nothing worse than a huge big rig that weighs 40,000 pounds being driven in a careless fashion.

A case a few years ago involved a tractor trailer that rear ended our client’s small sedan. The truck driver was not paying attention to the road, and he effectively ran over our client’s vehicle. He struck the car at 40 MPH or more.

The truck driver claimed that he had a medical emergency that caused him to faint at the wheel. Police on the scene thought the man had simply fallen asleep. One of our attorneys took a deposition of two managers at the trucking company, and both stated that the truck driver had no known medical issues.

The crash was so awful that the front seats of the car collapsed into the rear. The small car’s trunk was smashed into the passenger area. The force drove the heads of their two little girls into the front seats. Each child suffered traumatic brain injuries.

At the end of the day, we were able to secure a $21 million structured settlement to provide the two young girls with the long term health care that they would need for years to come. While we were pleased with the outcome, we would have been more pleased if the terrible accident had never happened.

All truck drivers must pay careful attention behind the wheel and never drive more than they are legally allowed to drive. A trucker falling asleep behind the wheel leads to horrible, life changing consequences for innocent people.