Illinois truck driver faces felony charges following fatal accident

 Posted on September 28, 2012 in Firm News

Earlier this month an Illinois truck driver was involved in a tragic truck accident that resulted in multiple fatalities. It is believed the tractor-trailer driver failed to slow down when a prior accident caused a back-up on the interstate.

The crash occurred earlier this month in Nebraska on Interstate 80. A previous accident that occurred between two other tractor-trailers caused traffic to back up. Witnesses reported that the oncoming trucker appeared not to slow down to compensate for the slow moving traffic ahead.

The semi hit a Ford Mustang driven by a 30-year-old man. The Mustang then hit a Toyota Corolla driven by the wife of the man driving the Mustang. The man's wife also had the couple's two children in the car. All the vehicles went up in flames. Tragically, the entire family died at the scene of the accident.

The driver of the truck, now facing felony charges, was a driver for AKI Trucking which lists its physical address as Romeoville, Illinois. Although the cause of the accident is still being investigated, one possibility is driver fatigue. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), AKI Trucking has scores for fatigued driving which exceed guidelines and warrant intervention. Sadly, if driver fatigue played a factor in this crash, such an intervention comes too late.

Accidents like this are unfortunate reminders of the damage that can be caused by 18-wheeler accidents. The large size and weight of tractor trailers makes them much more dangerous in the event of a crash compared to an average passenger vehicle. This is why strict guidelines for drivers need to be obeyed to ensure truckers are properly qualified, alert and focused on the road.

Source: The Trucker.com, "Trucker faces 9 felony counts following Nebraska accident," September 13, 2012

For more information on our practice please visit our Illinois truck accident page.