The male truck driver found responsible for this fatal accident received a 3-year judgment on March 13 in the Irwin County Superior Court. After pleading guilty to six counts of misdemeanor vehicular homicide earlier in the week, the trucker was ordered to begin serving 18 months in jail. Once he is released, the man will be on probation for an additional 18 months. He is also prohibited from driving commercial vehicles and was ordered to pay $3,000 in fines. A family member of at least one of the victims of the crash was dissatisfied with the outcome.
When a commercial truck accident occurs and there is serious injury or loss of life, the truck company along with an inattentive truck driver in their employ may be held responsible in a civil court action. There are federal trucking regulations with regard to such things as truck maintenance and how many hours a driver is allowed to be on the road.
An accident victim’s family members in a case such as this one might decide to seek the assistance of a personal injury attorney to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit. A civil action is handled separately from criminal court proceedings. An attorney may help families who are looking to be awarded financial compensation for their loss of a loved one in a trucking accident.
Source: WALB, “Deadly driver gets 18 months behind bars,” Dave Miller, March 13, 2015
