9 People Confirmed Dead in NE Oklahoma Tractor-Trailer Accident
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 412
Tags:
None
As national headlines focus on the passing of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, a tragedy of worse proportion happened in Oklahoma today. According to Newsok.com, 9 people are now confirmed dead after a tractor-trailer slammed into a line carss stopped by an earlier accident involving a tractor-trailer. The accident happened on the Will Rogers Turnpike northeast of Miami
According to the Highway Patrol and newsok.com,
Investigators don't believe the driver of the tractor-trailer tried to stop before the crash that left eight adults and one child dead, Brown said. The speed limit in the area is 75 mph. A criminal investigation was being conducted, as is routine after a fatal accident, and blood was drawn from the truck driver.
This is a tragic accident on a hot sunny day in Oklahoma. The pictures of dangled metal, fluids and crushed cars on the Oklahoma is astounding and I can simply say my prayers are with the deceased and injured. At a normal time, this might garner national headlines. However, with Michael Jackson’s passing, sadly that won’t be the case.
I hope at some point the issues associated with interstate truck driving come more to the public light. I have no idea of why this driver failed to even slow down, but in my experience in litigating these types of incidents, often times these truck drivers are pushed to drive fast and too many hours by various trucking companies. While this blog is reporting of this tragic accident, I will be discussing in the near future various issues relating to trucking companies and the secrets they don’t won’t the public to know.
UPDATE: The AP is reporting that there are two survivors of the above Oklahoma traffic wreck that killed nine people. A 12 year old young lady and 35 year old woman are listed in critical condition according to the article. As a father of three girls this is truly heart wrenching so please keep these two people in your prayers.
I also wanted to point out that the article says that the
police said they will give prosecutors the results of their investigation to decide whether to bring any charges after the chain-reaction crash on the turnpike that saw some victims pinned in the wreckage for up to nine hours.
Keep in mind that criminal charges don't equate to civil charges. Irregardless of whether criminal charges are filed their is obviously gross negligence on the part of the truck driver. As an attorney who actively works in trucking litigaton, one can only wonder about the circumstantial facts regarding the age of the trucker and the liability the trucking company may have.