Earlier this year, a cement mixer truck rolled over at an intersection in Atlanta, landing on a Lexus driven by a 22-year-old man and on the hood of the Mercedes driven by former mayor and current United Nations ambassador Andrew Young. Despite the 70,000-pound cement mixing trailer crushing their vehicles, no one was seriously injured, though the accident had the potential to be devastating. Only five days prior, another cement mixer truck rolled over onto an Audi, trapping the driver who ultimately survived.
Media investigators found some disturbing similarities1 between the two accidents:
- Both cement truck drivers were cited for both speeding and running red lights according to police reports.2
- Both drivers worked for the same company, Ready Mix USA.
Violating traffic signals and speeding through intersections are both dangerous behaviors even in a small passenger vehicle. When a driver is operating a large, cylindrical cement mixer truck that is already prone to rolling over, such negligent driving is almost certain to cause a catastrophic rollover accident.
The investigation also revealed that Ready Mix USA may be encouraging the dangerous driving behavior because they changed from hourly wages to paying each driver based on the number of loads they deliver. This means that drivers may be more prone to speeding, running traffic signals, and similar behavior to make deliveries faster. Even if the company did change their policy to encourage dangerous driving, however, the drivers should still also be held responsible for their own negligence and the damage they caused.
Commercial truck rollovers can cause serious injuries
Any rollover accident can cause injuries. When a large, almost 80,000-pound trailer rolls over, however, it generally causes substantial damage and catastrophic injuries. Some severe injuries resulting from rollover truck accidents include:
- Crushed limbs and amputations
- Head and brain trauma
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Burns
Our Truck Accident Lawyers Have Seen Similar Problems in The Trucking Industry
Our truck accident lawyers have seen similar corporate policy changes resulting in more truck accidents in the tractor-trailer industry. Many drivers are forced to violate Federal law regulating how many hours they can drive on a daily basis because their pay was based on the amount of miles driven. This practice has led to more significant tractor-trailer accidents caused by fatigued truck drivers.
References:
- https://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/investigations/2015/10/26/why-concrete-trucks-rolling-over/74641322/
- https://archive.11alive.com/assetpool/documents/151028095816_Decatur-15-001164.pdf
