Teen Killed in Tractor Trailer Accident

A teenage driver was killed on Interstate 40 late last month in fiery crash with a tractor trailer. Joseph Garcia, 18, was driving westbound on the interstate at around 5:45 p.m. at mile marker 209 when his 1988 Oldsmobile broke down on the road. The car came to a rest in a lane of traffic when it was slammed into by a commercial truck driving in the same direction.

The truck driver, Kevin Davenport, 49, was uninjured by the crash and told police that he attempted to stop but was unable to avoid the collision. As a result of the impact, Mr. Garcia’s car burst into flames. Mr. Garcia was declared dead at the scene. The investigation is still ongoing, and as of now no charges have been filed against Mr. Davenport for his role in the accident.

Tennessee Truck Accident Statistics

According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in 2012 commercial trucks were issued 35,045 citations by the Tennessee Highway Patrol for various violations on the roads. Over the last four years, tractor trailers have caused an increasing number of fatalities. In 2010, there were 90 deaths caused by trucking accidents, and in 2011 there were 99 fatalities caused by the same thing. In 2012 and 2013 Tennessee had 104 and 117 people die as a result of large trucking accidents on their roadways, and the numbers are looking to increase again this year.

Causes of Commercial Trucking Accidents

Although there are far fewer semi-trucks on the roads than regular vehicles, they prove to be far more deadly and dangerous in Tennessee. Trucking accidents often cause more devastating injuries and wrongful death than a typical car accident. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the most common reasons that large trucks cause accidents include:

• Braking problems
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Unfamiliarity with the roads
• Failure to obey traffic signals and stops
• Inadequate surveillance
• Driver fatigue

…and other unsafe driving habits that lead to catastrophic accidents with other vehicles.

In a study performed by the administration, nearly fifty percent of the trucking accidents studied occurred between a tractor trailer and regular passenger vehicle. The four critical features of those accidents included one or more of the following:

• The driver suffered a from a physical or disabling impairment, or the driver fell asleep behind the wheel
• The driver was distracted by something, was inattentive, or failed to observe a situation correctly
• The driver made poor decisions, such as driving too fast or too closely, or misjudged the flow of traffic
• The driver performed poorly by overcompensating, panicking, or failing to control the direction of the tractor trailer

Contact a Nashville Lawyer Today

Tractor trailer accidents routinely result in a lifetime of pain and disability for its victims or even death. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a commercial trucking accident in Nashville or the surrounding area, let the experienced Nashville accident lawyers at Calhoun Law, PLC help. Call the office today to begin.