A tractor-trailer driver from Harrisonburg, Virgina is suing Landing Transport after he claims it was responsible for a tractor-trailer accident that led to him being seriously injured. 

The West Virginia lawsuit states that on Jan. 15, 2015, the driver of a 2010 International tractor-trailer was driving southbound on I-81 near Bunker Hill, West Virginia. The lawsuit claims that the International truck driver negligently operated his rig in a way that caused it to hit the other tractor trailer head on.

Due to the force of the truck crash, the lawsuit claims that the second truck was forced to go sideways and jackknife. A car being driven by another motorist then hit the driver’s side cab of the second truck.

The suit claims that the driver of the second truck sustained serious personal injuries and damages, due to the alleged negligence of the International truck driver.

Our View

As tractor trailer accident attorneys in Virginia, we see many incidents where inattention to the road for various reasons leads to serious truck accidents with personal injury and/or death.

Our tractor trailer lawsuit experience tells us that one of the most frequent reasons for tractor trailer crashes is inadequate surveillance on the part of the truck driver. Inadequate surveillance happens when the truck driver is in a driving situation where he needs to look to complete a maneuver safely, but he does not look in the appropriate place or he looks but does not see what he needs to see.

Inadequate surveillance can occur frequently when changing lanes or turning at an intersection where the trucker looks in the direction he needs to but does not see the traffic approaching.

To avoid accidents due to inadequate surveillance, we want to remind truck drivers to look far enough ahead. It is recommended by trucking experts that drivers must look at least 15 seconds in front of their truck. This is about 1/4 of a mile ahead on the interstate.

Looking far enough ahead allows the trucker to see potential obstacles well before the truck gets there. A classic situation is where the truck driver is tired and does not look far enough ahead to see stopped traffic on the interstate. Many fatal rear-end crashes occur on highways across America every year due to this problem.

A driver who is injured due to the negligence of a truck driver engaging in inadequate surveillance or other negligent driving behavior can be entitled to compensation in a personal injury lawsuit. We settled this $3.5 million truck crash case when a tractor trailer driver rear ended a car driving slowly on I-64 in Virginia after a tire problem. If the trucker had been paying closer attention, this accident may have been avoided.