Accidents involving tractor-trailers are often the most serious kinds of wrecks seen on the highways of South Carolina. Big rigs cause serious injuries and often deaths.
This month South Carolina Highway Patrol revealed details of a fatal hit and run accident in Aiken County near Augusta.
Investigators said Carl Polite Jr.'s car rear-ended another vehicle on I-20 eastbound, just past mile marker 6. The crash caused his car to overturn and threw him from the driver's seat. Shortly after the initial accident, Polite was hit by a tractor trailer that left the scene. The impact killed him.
Highway Patrol described the vehicle they are looking for as a tractor trailer combination. The trailer was reported to be an enclosed tanker trailer. News 12 reported Polite had been recruited by the University of Georgia to play football. He later played for Benedict College in Columbia.
Every year there are hundreds of hit and run accidents on the roads of South Carolina. No driver should ever leave the scene of an accident, in particular truckers who are governed by strict federal rules.
Commercial truck drivers are professionals who receive a considerable amount of training and require special licenses to operate their heavy vehicles. Semi-trucks and 18-wheelers are the most dangerous vehicles on the roads. They can weigh as much as 40 times more than a car, and are capable of causing enormous physical damage when they are involved in a wreck. Truck drivers who cause accidents through negligent or reckless behavior can, and should, be held accountable to the victims.
Fatigue is a factor in many truck crashes. Although truck drivers have to abide by strict federal rules on the time they can spend behind the wheel, companies may seek to bend the rules and put unreasonable pressure on truck drivers. Often lawsuits can be brought against trucking companies as well as drivers.
In a high profile case, actor and comedian Tracy Morgan is suing Wal-Mart over a crash in New Jersey last year in which a truck driver crashed into his limo. Morgan was seriously injured, suffering a traumatic brain injury, and a friend was killed in the accident. Wal-Mart is being sued for negligence following claims the trucker did not sleep for 24 hours before the crash.
Our Columbia injury attorney from Masella Law Firm, P.A. can represent you whether you were hurt in a rollover accident, a rear-end accident or any other accident involving a truck. We represent the families of those who have lost loved ones in trucking accidents in bringing wrongful death cases. Call us at 803.938.4952.