Dan Pruitt Injury Law Firm - 300 Pettigru St., Suite 100, Greenville, SC 29601

What Causes Truck Accidents?

December 6, 2014 By

According to the Department of Transportation, there are nearly half a million commercial truck accidents a year with around 50,000 fatalities. The fatalities are higher when trucks are involved as opposed to passenger cars as they weigh up to 80,000 pounds while the average passenger car weighs only about 4,000 pounds.

There are many different types of truck accidents which depend on the truck itself, its size and the driver. The most common is the rollover accident, which are usually caused when a truck tries to take a turn or drive round a curve in the road at too high a speed. Rollovers may also happen when a truck driver tries to over correct a drifting trailer.

Jackknife accidents happen when the truck spins around and is usually caused by the truck’s axle brakes locking up, which causes the trailer to skid out of control. This can also be caused by ice on the road or some type of equipment failure.

The third type of accident happens when there is a tire blowout, usually caused by improper maintenance, an overloaded trailer, or poor road conditions. If a tire blows out, trucks can be very hard to control and can often lead to a severe accident.

Finally, collisions, especially rear end collisions which are either caused by malfunctioning brakes or by the driver being distracted and not paying attention to the road ahead.

If you have been the victim of an accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

 

Filed Under: Greenville Accident

Woman Critically Injured in Crash has died

November 18, 2014 By

A woman from Snow Hill who was critically injured when she was hit by a truck recently has died.

According to officials, 69 year old Barbara Tripp died from injuries suffered in the wreck which was responsible for the death of her daughter.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said that the accident happened on U.S. 264 to the northwest of Greenville on October 28 at around 1.15 am. Crystal Tripp Brann, aged 41, and also of Snow Hill, was driving the Honda car and stopped it in the right hand lane. It is not yet known why the car was stopped.

The car was then hit from behind by a box truck driven by Tristan Branch from Angier.

Brann died and Tripp was taken to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville in critical condition,

Troopers are still investigating the accident and at this time no charges have been filed.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

 

 

Filed Under: Greenville Accident

Recycling Trucks Forget to Pull in Arms

November 11, 2014 By

In the last few months there have been two cases where the drivers on the new recycling trucks in Greenville have forgotten to pull in the arm which is used to lift the recycling bins.

At the end of September, an accident with the arm caused $10,000 worth of damage to Donna Jones’ car. She was inside when the arm ripped off the back bumper, holed the tire and tore up both the front and back doors on the driver’s side. In addition it pulled the front of the car loose.

The Director of Greenville Public Works, Kevin Mulligan, says that the drivers are trained and that if the trucks move with the arm still out then there should be a warning sound, which obviously the drivers missed in these incidents. He went on to say that the new trucks were safer than the old ones for employees, and there have been many less accidents among the workforce.

He said that accidents which do occur to public works vehicles are usually because another driver runs into them but hopes the problem with drivers forgetting to pull in the arm will not happen again.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

 

Filed Under: Greenville Accident, Greenville Driver Safety

Tips for a Safe Road Trip

November 4, 2014 By

Road trips are one of the most popular vacation choices in the United States, particularly during the summer months. American families love to load up the vehicles and head out on the open road to any one of the country’s myriad tourist destinations and to enjoy the scenery along the way. But road trips can often be marred by accidents and other mishaps that are caused by everything from poor driving conditions to traffic congestion to a simple lack of route planning.

The following are some tips for keeping you and your family safe on your next road trip.

  • Ensure proper vehicle maintenance before leaving – Having a properly maintained vehicle can be the difference between an enjoyable and relaxing road trip and one that ends in disaster. Make sure to check fluid levels, headlight, taillight, and turn signal functionality, wiper blade quality, and tire pressure before hitting the road.
  • Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle – Some of the items that experts recommend having in an emergency kit in your vehicle include a first aid kit, flares, a flashlight, jumper cables, tire replacement tools, and some nonperishable food items.
  • Be alert for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcycles – On long road trips, it can be easy to develop “tunnel vision” in which a driver’s loses awareness of his or her periphery. Pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists are far more vulnerable than those in cars and drivers need to maintain awareness of them.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

Filed Under: Greenville Driver Safety

Seat Belts Are Proven to Save Lives on America’s Roads

October 27, 2014 By

For people between the ages of 1 and 54 years in the United States, car crashes are the number one cause of death. In 2012 there were over 2.2 million adult drivers and passengers who required treatment in an emergency room because of injuries that they suffered in car crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), regular use of seat belts is the most effective means of preventing serious injury and death among adults in the event of a car crash.

Despite the proven effectiveness of seat belts in saving adult lives in car crashes, there are still millions of adults who fail to put on their seat belts every time they get into a motor vehicle. According to the NHTSA, the regular use of seat belts by adult drivers and passengers reduces the risk of serious injury and death by about 50 percent.

Many adults make the mistake of assuming that air bags are a suitable substitute for wearing seat belts. However, while air bags are a very effective supplemental restraint, they are intended as just that – a supplement. The combination of seat belts and air bags is the best possible protection for adults in the event of a car crash.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

Filed Under: Greenville Accident, Greenville Driver Safety

Falling Asleep at the Wheel Just as Dangerous as Driving While Intoxicated

October 13, 2014 By

According to a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, fully 60 percent of American drivers admit to having driven a motor vehicle while feeling sleepy or drowsy at some point during the past year. That equates to nearly 170 million people, more than half of the total population in the United States. More than 37 percent admitted to actually having fallen asleep behind the wheel during that same period and of that number, 13 percent say that they had fallen asleep at least once per month during the year. And of those, 4 percent said that they had caused or nearly caused an accident because the fell asleep or were driving while drowsy.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more than 100,000 car crashes reported annually that are the direct result of driver fatigue or driver’s falling asleep while driving. Of those, there are an estimated 71,000 serious injuries, more than 1,500 deaths, and over $12 billion in monetary and property losses. Driving while drowsy is considered just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated but is far more difficult to contain because there are no tests available to determine a driver’s level of sleepiness the way there is for alcohol or drug intoxication.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

Filed Under: Greenville Accident, Greenville Driver Safety

Modern Seat Belts are Part of a Total Car Safety System

October 2, 2014 By

There is nothing more effective in preventing death and serious injury from car crashes than wearing your seat belt. Seat belts are specifically designed by automakers to keep people retained in their seats during a car accident. They are meant to ensure that contact between drivers and passengers and the interior of the vehicle is kept to a bare minimum during a crash. They also substantially reduce the risk of individuals being thrown from the car. Until the early 1990s seat belts were designed with a shoulder and waist strap for the two front seat occupants and only waist straps for the rear occupants. In modern vehicles, however, safety regulations dictate that all seats in all passenger vehicles must be of the shoulder-and-waist strap variety.

Seat belts are also not just a lone safety measure anymore. They work in conjunction with other components in a vehicle such as head restraints and air bags as part of a complete injury prevention system. But within this system, the seat belt is considered by safety experts to be the most important element and the other components such as the air bag should not be relied on as a replacement for seal belts.

Filed Under: Greenville Driver Safety

Desperate Need for More Truck Drivers

September 21, 2014 By

According to statistics from the American Trucking Association (ATA), there are about 30,000 to 35,000 unfilled truck driving jobs and this is now the number one problem facing the trucking industry

What is of more concern is that, according to some commentators, the shortage is projected to grow to 240,000 by 2020.

The reasons for the shortage are many. Firstly the demographics as with an aging population there is less growth and the younger generation coming through is not sufficiently large to fill the driver roles needed.

In addition, the job of truck driver is not as attractive today as it used to be, with more and more kids enrolling in college and college graduates are less likely to want to be a truck driver. In addition, those who come straight from high school do not tend to be sufficiently mature to driver a large truck which calls for good reactions and excellent decision making skills.

Add to this the legislation which cuts back on the hours drivers are allowed to be behind the wheel which further increases the need for more drivers.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

Filed Under: Greenville Accident

Man Killed in Pedestrian Accident Involving Sheriff’s Deputy

August 31, 2014 By

The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in Greenville, South Carolina reported that one of its deputies was involved in an accident last week in which a 65-year-old man was hit by several vehicles while trying to cross the road. The fatal accident occurred just south of Interstate 85 in Greenville on Augusta Road. The man was identified as Johnny Melvin Crouch by a deputy coroner for Greenville County. According to witnesses, Crouch was attempting to cross the road in an effort to get to a bus stop when he was stuck multiple times, one of them being by the Sheriff’s deputy.

The deputy in question has been placed on administrative duty. According to reports, another accident involving two other vehicles occurred just after the man was hit by the deputy. It is believed that after the initial collision between the deputy’s vehicle and Mr. Crouch, the two other vehicles maneuvered to avoid him and the deputy’s vehicle and ended up colliding with each other. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is conducting an investigation into the incident per the state’s regulations for car.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

Filed Under: Greenville Accident

3-Year-Old Killed After Being Struck By Golf Cart

August 24, 2014 By

A 3-year-old girl in Aiken, South Carolina died this week after being struck by a golf cart. According to reports filed by police in Aiken, the toddler was standing in a local hospital parking lot when the accident occurred. She was subsequently transported to another hospital before passing away several hours later. The report stated that a security guard at the hospital where the child was struck had been driving the cart. The incident took place around 1:30 in the afternoon on Monday and news of her condition and ultimate passing swept quickly through Aiken and through the little girl’s hometown of Graniteville, South Carolina.

It is unclear at this point how the accident occurred and members of the Aiken Department of Public Safety’s Accident Reconstruction Team are currently investigating the details behind the incident. According to officials, the child was struck in the front of the hospital as the girl was exiting the premises with her family. The community has expressed its support of the family and representatives from the Aiken Department of Public Safety say that an in-depth reconstruction and analysis of the incident will help determine how the accident happened. There has been no official word from the 63-year-old security guard who was driving the cart and an autopsy on the toddler was conducted on Wednesday morning.

If you have been the victim of a negligent accident, contact our law offices immediately at (864) 280-7660 today or contact us online. We will be able to review your case and inspect the tire to see if it has been subject to a recall Especially in the case that said accident resulted in serious injury or death, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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