Franklin Gray and White Blog

Recent Investigation Effort Finds Hundreds of Trucks Operating in Violation of Safety Regulations

A recent 72 hour dragnet in Georgia, part of a larger North American effort by commercial vehicle investigators found over one hundred commercial vehicles to be in violation of safety regulations to the extent requiring the vehicles to be grounded.

122 drivers were found to be in violation of the number of hours drivers are allowed to be on the road to fatigue and overall safety concerns.  The effort also found numerous violations of brake safety and maintenance regulations.

Unfortunately, this is another example of disturbing news from the trucking industry.  As we have stated before, responsbility for keeping our roads and highways free from catastrophic tractor-trailer accidents extends beyond the drivers behind the wheel include the trucking companies as well.    

The law firm of Franklin Gray and White represents clients who have been injured in accidents involving tractor-trailers and semis or other trucking related accidents.  If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck and/or auto accident, please contact the attorneys at Franklin Gray and White for a free consultation.

Trucking Company Enters in Multi-Million Dollar Settlement in Missouri

A Michigan Trucking company recently entered into an $18 million dollar settlement before punitive damages could be determined after a jury found for the plaintiffs in the amount of $15 million in compensatory damages.

The underlying litigation highlighted a disturbing trend in the way trucking companies attempt to avoid the entire company's assets being at risk for its liability for any negligent or reckless behavior.  Simply put, the business splits its company into several different and separate entities and has each solely perform one function (i.e. the qualification of drivers).

The substantive aspect of the lawsuit, however, is another unfornuate example of negligent and reckless practices by both truck drivers and the trucking industry leading to unneccesary deaths on our roads and highways.  In this case, a driver who allegedly was not only in bad general health, but also fell asleep behind the wheel as he had been on the road for too many hours, slammed into a rear of a vehicle killing four family members.

The law firm of Franklin Gray and White represents clients who have been injured in accidents involving tractor-trailers and semis or other trucking related accidents.  If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck and/or auto accident, please contact the attorneys at Franklin Gray and White for a free consultation.

Research Study Identifies Factors That Lead to Trucking Accidents

In the preceding link to the article from Science Daily, it is noted that a recent study has been completed identifying factors contributing to truck and semi accidents.

The study, published in the International Journal for Vehicle Safety notes that three "critical manoeuvers" lead to the loss of control preceding a tractor-trailer, truck, or semi accident.  Those manoeuvers being (1) bend-negotiation (2) avoidance manoeuvers, and (3) road-edge recovery.

Truck and semi accidents comprise a large portion of the catastrophic accidents that happen daily on Kentucky's roads and highways.  Both operators and their respective trucking companies need to practice the utmost care and caution in preventing these too often tragic accidents.  To learn more about Truck and Auto Accidents, please click here.

The law firm of Franklin Gray & White represents victims of trucking and auto accidents.  If you or a loved one have been injured in a trucking or auto accident, please call the attorneys at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation.

Conditions Blamed in Tractor-Trailer Accident on I-65

In this news brief from the Louisville Courier-Journal there are details of yet another tractor-trailer accident on I-65.  Here, the driver involved in the accident blames road conditions for his loss of control of his truck which jacknifed and struck the dividing wall. 

Thankfully, though I-65 was shut down for several hours, no one was seriously hurt.  However, wrecks involving semis and tractor-trailers often result in serious and catastrophic injuries.  If you or a loved one were involved in such a truck and auto accident, please contact one of the truck and auto accident attorneys at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation.

Kentucky Truck Accident Statistics

As we have posted before, trucking accidents are a serious problem that greatly affect Kentucky's roadways.  This is expecially true in the Louisville-Jefferson County area.  The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety ("KOHS") complies statistics that demonstrate this concern.  To see more about these trucking accident statistics for Jefferson County during the previous 8 years, please follow the links below:

Truck and Commerical Vehicle Collisions - Total
Truck and Commerical Vehicle Collisions - Injury Accidents
Truck and Commerical Vehicle Collisions - Fatalities

The law firm of Franklin Gray & White represents victims of trucking and auto accidents.  If you or a loved one have been injured in a trucking or auto accident, please call the attorneys at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation.

Truck Wreck On I-65

From the Courier-Journal:

"A two-vehicle accident has blocked the right lane on Interstate 65 northbound just before Grade Lane, according to a Trimarc Incident Report.

There were reports of injuries, a MetroSafe Communications supervisor said.

The supervisor also said the vehicles involved were a Ford Thunderbird and a dump truck."

For the story, click here.

Another accident involving a truck or commercial vehicle on the I-65 corridor.  If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving a truck or commercial vehicle, protect your rights.  Contact the attorneys at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation.

Trucking Company Named In Lawsuit Regarding Fatal 2006 Crash

From the Chicago Tribune:

A Protivin (PRO-tuh-vuhn) woman is suing a trucking company involved in a deadly crash that killed her two children in December 2006.

Nicole Sanders filed the lawsuit against Lee Steyer Trucking of Soldiers Grove, Wis., and driver William Creager, of Westby, Wis., in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids.

Sanders' children, 3-year-old Raven Williams and 2-year-old Wesley Williams, died in the crash on U.S. Highway 63 near New Hampton.

Authorities say Sanders' vehicle lost control on the icy highway and collided with a van. Both vehicles came to rest in the road before being struck by the semitrailer driven by the Wisconsin driver.

[Continue Story]

The law firm of Franklin Gray & White represents the victim of truck and auto accidents.  If you or a loved one were injured in an accident involving a truck, semi, and/or commercial vehicle, protect your rights.  Contact the experienced legal team at Franklin Gray & White for your free consultation.

For further information on truck and auto accidents please see here, or see our online library.

Lawsuit Alleges Nursing Homes Took On Patients They Could Not Properly Care For To Increase Profits

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:  a Federal lawsuit alleges among other claims that a group of Washington state nursing homes regularly took on patients that they could not properly care for in order to boost profits.

The lawsuit names as a defendant a company that runs 15 nursing homes in the Washington area.  Plaintiffs allege that these homes took in patients without evaluating whether they could be given the proper care and treatment at the facility but solely focused on the added profits new patients would bring.

Family members and friends, justifiably, have high expectations for the quality of care their loved ones will receive at a nursing home.  However, too often, we see cases like these, where the nursing home industry has overlooked care in pursuit of larger profits.  The law firm of Franklin Gray & White assists those who have been the victim of Nursing Home Abuse & Negligence.  If believe a loved has been the victim of nursing home abuse and neglect, please contact one of the attorneys at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation.

New FAA Rule to Require Device to Prevent Airline Tank Explosions

After years of delay, a FAA rule is set to go into effect requiring a device to be placed in aircraft to prevent fuel tanks from exploding.  The rule comes many years after the explosion aboard a TWA flight took the life of 230 passengers.

This is welcome news.  The rule would require these devices to be installed in new aircraft, as well as requiring retrofitting in several models of existing aircraft.

Aviation safety and regulations are a concern of the law firm of Franklin Gray & White.  The attorneys at Franklin Gray & White were recently able to obtain a settlement for the family of one of the victims of ComAir Flight 5191.

If you have any questions or concerns about this article or aviation safety, please contact one of the attorneys at Franklin Gray & White.