Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”
A North Carolina woman is dead after being hit by a tractor-trailer on I-95 this holiday weekend. Authorities with the Virginia State Patrol say the deadly crash took place in Prince George County, just outside Richmond.
According to police officers, the crash took place late last week at 4:40 in the afternoon near mile marker 42 on I-95. A tractor-trailer was heading south in the far right lane of the interstate when it drifted off the road and crashed directly into the back of a 2007 Hyundai Elantra. The Hyundai had pulled over on the shoulder of the road due to mechanical troubles.
Officers say that the driver of the car, 24-year-old Rachel Gradia, was sitting in the passenger side of the vehicle when the impact occurred. Emergency responders say that Gradia was thrown from the car due to the force of the collision. The accident also caused the tractor-trailer to jackknife off the side of the interstate.
Gradia was rushed to a nearby emergency room for treatment of her injuries but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries a few days later. Doctors say the force of the accident was simply too great and it led to catastrophic injuries in the young driver.
The driver of the semi, a 65-year-old from North Carolina, managed to walk away from the crash uninjured. The man has since been charged with reckless driving as police say they are continuing an investigation into what exactly caused the trucker to drift out of his lane, setting off a deadly chain reaction.
The accident is yet another deadly example of the kind of damage a tractor-trailer can cause to occupants of much smaller passenger vehicles. A fully loaded semi can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, vastly heavier than a typically 3,000 pound passenger car. These enormous disparities in size and weight mean often end in tragedy for those in the smaller vehicle while truckers frequently walk away unharmed, protected by the size of their powerful vehicles.
Though the accident in this case was unintentional, it shows how deadly carelessness can be given the right circumstances. Though Gradia had taken pains to protect herself, pulling over onto the shoulder, well outside the lanes of traffic, and relocating to the passenger side of the car, it simply wasn’t enough to save her from a fast-moving tractor-trailer outside of its lane.
If you, or someone you know, have any questions regarding personal injury claims, please feel free to contact the experienced personal injury attorneys and lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina at Arnold & Smith, PLLC for a free consultation. Call at 704-370-2828 or click here for additional resources.
About the Author:
Matthew Arnold is a Managing Member with Arnold & Smith, PLLC where he focuses his practice on Personal Injury, Family Law and Business Litigation. Mr. Arnold began his career handling insurance defense litigation for several major insurance companies. He also went on to handle business litigation cases and high value mortgage fraud cases, primarily in Superior Court.
Mr. Arnold grew up in Charlotte, graduating from Providence Senior High School and continued his education at Belmont Abbey College on a basketball scholarship. After graduating cum laude he attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a full academic scholarship. In his spare time, Mr. Arnold enjoys golfing and spending time on the North Carolina Coast with his wife and three young children: two daughters and one son.
Source:
“I-95 Tractor Trailer Crash Claims Life of 24-Year-Old Gainesville Woman,” published at WRIC.com.
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