Crashes involving tractor-trailers are often the most serious kinds of wrecks on the highways of Georgia. Earlier this year, a big rig was at the heart of an eight-vehicle crash in Lawrenceville that killed one person and injured 17 others.
Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge of Gwinnett County said in a news release a vehicle trapped under a tractor-trailer was on fire when emergency crews arrived at the scene of a crash along state Highway 316 in suburban Atlanta in June. He said the driver of the vehicle that was on fire was killed in the fiery wreck.
Rutledge reported nine injured people were taken hospitals in suburban Atlanta. Two of the victims were reported to be in a critical condition. Rutledge said eight other people had minor injuries and were evaluated at the crash scene.
The crash left eight children and 10 adults injured, reported Fox News. Seven of the victims were rushed by ambulance to Gwinnett Medical Center and two to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.
Crash in Lawrenceville injures 17
This horrific crash occurred at GA-316 at Buford Drive in Lawrenceville.
Lawrenceville Police Department later suggested the driver of the tractor-trailer was to blame for this wreck.
Spokesman Capt. Vaughn said it appeared that the big rig involved in the crash, failed to stop when traffic was not moving ahead of it on Hi Hope Road Monday afternoon.
Police identified the woman killed in the crash as Eva Wilkerson, 62, of Winder.
Georgia has seen a spate of wrecks caused when tractor-trailer drivers failed to stop in time to avoid vehicles that were slowed down or stationary ahead of them.
In 2015, five nursing students were killed when a tractor-trailer plowed into their vehicle on I-16 close to Savannah.
The Louisiana truck driver who caused the crash was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty. The prosecution revealed he had been texting before the crash, although he denied he was texting when he hit the nurses’ vehicle.
Every year, tractor-trailers being driven poorly cause death, injury, and misery to families across Georgia. Fatigue in the trucking industry remains a very serious issue, although the reason why the truck hit other vehicles in Lawrenceville has not been disclosed.
If you have been a victim of a Georgia trucking accident, please call our Newnan personal injury lawyer at (404) 913-1529.