Truck Driver Killed in Accident on I-40 | Personal Injury | Fayetteville, AR

Elliott & Smith Law Firm

We Live For Our Clients Success!

Dec 23

Truck Driver Killed in Accident on I-40

Semi trucks are large and require a significant amount of control by the drivers. One wrong move can cause a fatal crash. Unfortunately, this was the case for a California man who crashed a semi truck in Arkansas.

The fatal semi truck accident happened on the evening of November 12. The 59-year-old truck driver was traveling east on Interstate 40 in Prairie County near mile marker 199 when his truck veered to the left and hit a median. It then left the highway and hit a tree.

The man died from his injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. It is unknown what caused the truck to leave the roadway. The road conditions were clear and dry at the time.


Leaving the Roadway

When it comes to semi trucks, leaving the lane or roadway is a critical event that happens more often than you may expect. In a sample of 963 truck crashes, this happened 32 percent of the time.

There are several reasons why this could occur. Speed is a common factor. While truck drivers must abide by lower speed limits, they are often pressured by trucking companies to meet deadlines. This causes stress, which can lead to excessive speed.

A truck traveling too fast may lose control and veer off the roadway. When speed is involved, the driver could have panicked or tried to get back on the road, but overcompensated. This is especially true if the truck driver was not familiar with the roadway.

Non-performance is another common issue. Falling asleep at the wheel or feeling fatigued can cause a driver to not pay attention and drift off the road. Substance use such as alcohol or prescription drug use can cause a driver to feel drowsy and less attentive to the road and its conditions.


Get Help From an Arkansas Truck Accident Attorney

While truck accidents often kill those in passenger vehicles, sometimes truck drivers suffer fatalities in such crashes. It’s often difficult to know what caused a crash, since there can be many factors involved. Sometimes there can be multiple causes of a crash.

If you were involved in a truck accident caused by someone else’s negligence, act quickly to protect your legal rights. The aggressive truck accident attorneys at the Elliott & Smith Law Firm has won many truck crash cases and will go to trial if needed. For a free consultation, contact us online or call our Fayetteville, Arkansas office at 479-JUSTICE (587-8423).