Drowsy truckers cause carnage on Georgia’s roads. One of the most serious crashes took place two years ago when a trucker crashed into cars in a work zone, killing five motorists.
Recently, a State Court judge in Savannah sentenced 61-year-old David Jerald Gibbons of Pooler to prison in a highway crash that killed five people after he fell asleep at the wheel.
The trucker was sentenced to two years in prison and three years on probation. The Savannah Morning News reported that Gibbins was convicted of misdemeanor vehicular homicide and other criminal counts.
Gibbons was also convicted on charges of failure to exercise due care because he fell asleep while driving as well as driving too fast for conditions in a road work zone.
The Insurance Journal reported that Gibbons was driving a big rig on Interstate 16 when he fell asleep and crashed into vehicles stopped in a work zone on May 19, 2015.
Trucker killed five in work zone
The impact claimed the lives of 72-year-old Glenda Faye Adams and 71-year-old Jerry Wayne Earnest of Cohutta; 39-year-old Wendy Melton of Reidsville; 16-year-old Brittanie Denise Altman of Claxton; and 19-year-old Virgil Stephen Moody of Hagan. Gibbons escaped this horrific crash with minor injuries. Three of the victims were in one car, and two were in a second.
In its report, the Savannah Morning News noted the comments of Assistant District Attorney Andre Pretorius who said evidence showed Gibbons was traveling at 60 mph when he fell asleep at I-16 and I-95, hitting a line of vehicles ahead of him.
The court heard Gibbons’ truck was weaving in and out of lanes about five miles before impact. Gibbons was a tractor-trailer driver for Georgia Freightways.
This tragic accident again highlights the long hours truckers face and the dangers of this regime.
Gibbons told police officers he began his shift at 12:30 a.m, in Dublin. He returned to Savannah before going to Greensboro in Georgia and was traveling from Greensboro to Savannah on I-16 before the wreck at 1:45 p.m.
Work zones are dangerous places. Often drivers of 18 wheelers fail to brake in time when traffic is stopped ahead of them.
Lanes can be narrower and construction vehicles and road workers pose additional problems.
In August, a box truck crashed in a work zone on I-95 in Virginia and claimed the life of a driver from New York.
The crash happened at 12:35 a.m. between the Thornburg and Massaponax exits of the interstate. The truck crashed into the back of an SUV and then rammed it into a stopped tractor trailer, according to the Virginia State Police.
Trucker fatigue is a major issue on the highways of the United States. Read more about the problem here on our website.
If you have been injured due to the actions of a trucker, please call our Georgia trucking accident lawyers at (404) 913-1529.