A 52-year-old man was killed in a six-vehicle accident on northbound Interstate 71 in Warren County on August 6, 2012. According to WCPO-TV, the victim had begun to slow down for traffic when he was rear-ended by a semi and forced into the rear of another semi. The 23-year-old truck driver who struck the victim's car was charged with vehicular homicide and was being held in Warren County Jail.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a news release that neither alcohol nor drug use appeared to be involved. "The Highway Patrol urges the motoring public to pay attention while driving and limit any distractions that take their focus away from the road ahead," the patrol said in the release.
According to the Enquirer, the 23-year-old driver's semi "continued northbound after initial impact and struck three other vehicles." A 53-year-old driver was treated at Bethesda Medical Center at Arrow Springs, but the drivers of the other two vehicles were uninjured, the Enquirer reported. The accident kept a section of I-71 closed for about five hours.
With police ruling out alcohol or drug use as a factor but issuing a statement stressing the importance of paying attention, the initial reports strongly suggest that distracted driving was a cause of this fatal collision. Drivers of commercial trucks are prohibited from talking or texting on a cell phone while operating their vehicles, and an accident like this is a strong reminder of the damage that can occur when tractor trailer drivers are not focused on the road. The family of the deceased may be able to file a wrongful death claim against both the semi driver and the company that owned the truck, and additional information about truck accidents is available on our website.
If you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries in an accident with a commercial truck, you can contact our firm to set up a free consultation and let our Cincinnati truck accident attorneys review your case.
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of another person's negligence, you deserve to be fully compensated for your losses. The simple fact is that you should not be forced to pay the price for another person's careless or reckless actions.