Earlier this summer, a chain-reaction car accident on Interstate 65 in Alabama tragically caused the deaths of 10 people. Now the families of two of the deceased have filed lawsuits against the companies that owned two semi trucks that were involved in the wreck. They say that the companies’ misconduct made the incident worse and contributed to their loved ones’ deaths.
Readers may remember this terrible incident. It started relatively quietly with a chain reaction of minor crashes on I-65 that caused traffic to back up. Then a tractor-trailer came along and failed to brake in time. It crashed into an SUV, then hit a van full of children from a summer camp. A second semi arrived and swerved, apparently trying to avoid the disabled vehicles, but instead, it slammed into the van.
Pinned between the two trucks, the van caught fire. Eight children inside were killed. Two others also died at the scene.
‘Complete Disregard’
The lawsuits accuse the trucking companies of negligently contributing to the truck accident. An attorney in one of the suits said the companies “displayed a complete disregard” for traffic safety or the lives of the victims. An article about this accident does not go into detail about how the trucking businesses were allegedly negligent. It is possible that the plaintiffs are accusing them of hiring inexperienced drivers and failing to train them, hiring drivers with poor driving records, or failing to keep their trucks in good repair.
As this story shows, when a person causes a serious motor vehicle accident in the course of their employment (like a truck driver), victims have the right to seek compensation from the driver’s employer. Such companies generally have more resources to compensate you for huge damages like medical bills and lost wages.