2 Flown to Hospital after Crash on I-26 West near Chapin
A collision on Interstate 26 near Chapin injured two people and temporarily blocked all westbound lanes of the interstate on July 30th. It happened just after noon on Tuesday, July 30th about three miles west of U.S. Highway 176 (Exit 97). All lanes have since reopened. Officials with the South Carolina Highway Patrol confirmed a tractor-trailer and a truck collided near mile marker 94. Emergency crews flew two patients to the hospital who were hurt in the crash.
Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents make up a very small percentage of automobile accidents. However, they can result in devastating injuries and extensive property damage due to the large size, high speed, and strong forces of the truck.
There are some common (and avoidable) causes of truck accidents. First are blind spots. Trucks have numerous blind spots where truck drivers cannot see other cars or people. Even if a truck driver tries to check these locations while driving, they are likely to be unsuccessful because of the nature and size of the truck itself. Second is braking failure. Brakes on trucks wear down quickly because of the sheer volume of miles that trucks drive. You can’t influence truck drivers to check their brakes more often, but you can keep a safe distance between you and trucks to make sure that everyone has enough space to stop.
Truck Safety Tips
Always keep a safe distance between you and trucks on the roadway, so that drivers can anticipate what others are going to do and so that trucks have enough room to stop the nearly 80,000 pounds of vehicle behind them. Avoid driving in the blind spots of trucks: in front of the truck cab, below it, behind the driver side door, on the right side of the cab, and on the back of the trailer. Avoid driving while fatigued, distracted, or worse- intoxicated. Doing so dramatically raises your risk of being in an accident with a large truck. Keeping to these tips can help you avoid an accident with a truck that could cause anything from property damage to traumatic brain injuries.
After a Truck Accident
First, prioritize your health and safety. Remove yourself from the roadway if you can, and get checked out by medical personnel. It’s easy to spot blood or other obvious injuries at the scene, but other injuries don’t appear or manifest themselves until after some time has passed. Second, speak to a qualified attorney about your truck accident. Avoid attorneys who lack experience with truck accidents and find an attorney with specialized experience with truck accidents. An experienced attorney will know who to sue (because there may be multiple parties involved- contractors, owners of the trucking company, trucking operators, the truck manufacturer, and even governmental entities), and how to go about proving liability for the accident.
Finding an Attorney
There are several attorneys who will line up to take your truck accident case. But the best attorney for you, as mentioned above, is someone with specific experience in truck accidents. Contact an experienced Columbia truck accident attorney today at The Stanley Law Group. Call 803-799-4700 and set up a consultation today.
