Tragic Crash on I-40 Shows the Real Dangers of Truck Accidents

A woman was killed in a crash between her SUV and a tractor-trailer on Interstate 40 in Madison on Friday January 29. The police report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol said that a driver was traveling westbound in a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox when the vehicle crossed the grass median and struck a tractor-trailer in the eastbound lanes. The driver was killed in the accident. The driver of the tractor-trailer received undisclosed injuries in the crash. The accident investigation is ongoing.

What might have caused this fatal crash?

It is unclear why the SUV crossed the grassy median, which is about as wide as two lanes of traffic, in order to crash into Lewis’ truck in the opposite lanes. The accident happened in broad daylight in the middle of the afternoon. Given that it was the Chevy Equinox SUV that crossed the median strip, it would appear that the SUV driver caused the accident, but there are so many unanswered questions in a situation such as this. There are many unanswered questions about the crash, so anything beyond the basic facts is pure speculation.

In many crashes between large, commercial trucks and smaller, passenger vehicles, the truck is the cause of the crash. In this case, something happened to incapacitate the driver in order for that vehicle to travel across the wide, grassy strip and crash into the oncoming, eastbound traffic on the other side of the highway.

Determining fault and liability in a motor vehicle crash

Given that it looks fairly apparent that the driver of the SUV was at fault in the crash, their insurance company would be responsible for the truck driver’s injuries and property damage. Unfortunately, the driver of the SUV lost their life in the accident, but finding out what caused the driver to lose control will be helpful in assigning fault. If the driver were incapacitated by a medical condition– a heart attack– for example, the consequences would be quite different than if it were determined that the driver was drunk and passed out.

An auto accident attorney would investigate the accident and determine what caused or contributed to the accident and then make sure that the responsible party is held accountable for the injuries and property damage.

The experienced auto accident attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC protect the rights of those who have been injured due to the negligence of another. Please contact us to schedule a free case review to discuss your case with one of our Jackson or Memphis auto accident attorneys today.