Last year, we wrote about the June 2015 pileup on I-75 near Ooltewah. Details were scarce at the time, but we knew that a commercial truck and at least 7 other vehicles were involved in a chain reaction crash that left 6 dead and four injured. ABC News reported that the pileup was the deadliest multi-vehicle accident in the area in at least a decade. Now, more than a year later, the National Transportation Safety Board has released the results of their investigation into the wreck.
How it happened
In brief, the agency determined that the accident occurred as northbound traffic on I-75 entered a marked construction zone. A tractor-trailer failed to slow with traffic and struck a Toyota Prius at highway speed, beginning the chain reaction crash that Chattanooga Chief of Police Fred Fletcher called “The worst I’ve ever seen.”
According to The Trucker:
“The NTSB said in its report that although the truck driver had an opportunity for overnight rest before the crash, he had likely gone without sustained rest for 40 hours prior to the accident… The truck driver’s post-accident drug test revealed methamphetamine use. The NTSB found no prescription for its use by the truck driver and concluded that the truck driver illegally used methamphetamine prior to the crash and the effects of the drug degraded his driving performance.”
The agency issued seven new safety recommendations to various federal and state transportation organizations based on the investigation that address issues like drug testing programs and background checks. The report was released just days after The Tennessean reported that drugged driving is outpacing alcohol as a cause of fatal accidents. That information, based on an analysis of Tennessee Highway Patrol data, shows that the number of deaths from drug-impaired driver crashes rose by 89% from 2010 to 2015.
Fatal truck accidents are more common in work zones
While the driver’s fatigue and drug use were certainly a factor, the 2015 pileup was not a statistical fluke. From the same article, “The NTSB’s report also highlights that the number of trucks involved in fatal crashes in work zones is disproportionately higher than the number of other vehicles involved in fatal crashes in work zones. Speeding, distraction and impairment are key factors in these crashes.”
An impaired and distracted truck driver speeding through a construction is something that no driver can prepare for or defend against. When these accidents happen, just surviving can be a miracle, though serious injuries are common. If your loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a commercial truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other expense.
The experienced Nashville truck accident attorneys at the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm can evaluate your case and help get you the compensation you deserve. Call 615.246.5549, visit our offices in Nashville, Gallatin or Knoxville, or contact us today for a free consultation.
