The web version of a Rochester, New York newspaper, ROCnow.com, has reported that a tractor trailer driver who caused a fatal trucking accident had falsified his log books and was watching porn at the time of the crash. The trucker, Thomas Wallace, admitted to law enforcement investigators that he had been on duty more than 27 hours on only four hours sleep at was watching porn movie on a laptop when the crash occurred.
The driver of a truck involved in an accident that killed an Erie County woman on Interstate 90 in Pembroke last month was tired and had a laptop computer that was streaming a pornographic movie when he crashed, State Police said.
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Wallace is accused of violating transportation law by operating the tractor-trailer while keeping fictitious log books, State Police said. He also was on duty for more than 27 hours and was driving on only four hours of sleep at the time of the accident, police said.
Moments before being hit by the tractor-trailer on Dec. 12, motorist Julie Stratton, 33, of Snyder, a Buffalo suburb, had hit a deer, which disabled her car in a lane.
The tractor-trailer then struck her, and she died from injuries sustained in that accident, State Police said.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Stratton’s family. No family should be forced to suffer a preventable tragedy such as this.
Truckers like Thomas Wallace give hardworking and safety conscious truck drivers a bad name, but underscore the need for increased safety measures to ensure that "bad apples" are not able to take advantage of the system.
Earlier this week, the federal government enacted regulations to crack down on distracted driving by truck and bus drivers. A study by Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute found that distracted truck drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or a close call.
Not only was this truck driver distracted, it appears he violated on-duty hours and suffered from fatigue from driving 27 hours on only four hours sleep.
Driver fatigue is a particularly dangerous — and completely preventable — cause of trucking accidents. Nearly 15 years ago, the NTSB issued a report warning of truck driver fatigue dangers.
The NTSB found that trucker fatigue was a contributing factor in 30%-40% of all diesel truck accidents. The NTSB found that proper sleep patterns are imperative for truck driver safety. Truckers must get 8 hours of continuous sleep after driving for 10 hours or after being on duty for 15 hours for proper safety.
Too many people have been killed by semi truck crashes and trucking accidents.
Nationwide, large trucks (known as tractor trailers, semi trucks, eighteen wheelers, diesel, big rigs, or commercial trucks) make up only about 3% of the vehicles on the road. However, they account for far more traffic fatalities. For example, in Missouri, semi truck crashes make up as much as 15% of traffic deaths. In Illinois, tractor trailer crashes cause more than 10% of traffic deaths.
The National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB") lists the following as some of the most common causes of big rig accidents:
Poor Driver Training
Driver Fatigue (Tiredness)
Speeding
Overloaded Trucks
Oversized Trucks
Brake Failure
Poor Driving Conditions
Driver Inexperience
Failure To Yield The Right-Of-Way
Driving Under The Influence of Alcohol Or Drugs
Aggressive, Dangerous Or Reckless Driving
Mechanical Failure (Or Improper Maintenance)
Defective Parts (Such As Defective Steering Or Brakes)
Truckers and trucking companies must be mindful of each of these trucking accident causes.
Driving an 80,000 tractor trailer covering hundreds of thousands of miles is an awesome responsibility. Truckers and trucking corporations must be vigilant about safety.
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Brett Emison is currently a partner at Langdon & Emison, a firm dedicated to helping injured victims across the country from their primary office near Kansas City. Mainly focusing on catastrophic injury and death cases as well as complex mass tort and dangerous drug cases, Mr. Emison often deals with automotive defects, automobile crashes, railroad crossing accidents (train accidents), trucking accidents, dangerous and defective drugs, defective medical devices.
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