On Wednesday afternoon, January 30, 2019, a multi-vehicle pileup involving 27 cars and large trucks occurred on Route 222 in Wyomissing, Berks County, Pennsylvania during a whiteout from a snow squall. Of the 27 vehicles, the majority were passenger cars. There was also a big rig hauling mail, a dump truck, and a large box truck.

As a result of the accident, 24 people were injured, and the wreck blocked all lanes of Route 222 southbound between Route 422 westbound and Lebanon/Penn Ave-West Exit and Pennsylvania Route 724 – Sinking Spring/Shillington Exit. Fifteen of the injured were evaluated at the scene; nine were taken to Reading Hospital and eight were taken to Spring Township fire station. Of the nine individuals hospitalized, two were deemed critically injured.

Trucks, tractor-trailers, and other commercial vehicles that transport goods and products use our public roads and highways on a daily basis. Because they’re much larger, heavier, and slower vehicles than passenger cars, pickup trucks, and motorcycles, they also pose innumerable risks to those around them, including the threat of catastrophic injuries or death when vulnerable motorists are involved in trucking accidents. To manage these risks and protect the rights of accident victims, the federal government and states across the country enforce a number of laws and safety regulations.

At Shrager & Sachs, our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers know the regulations governing truck and commercial vehicle safety, as well as the laws and legal standards that apply to personal injury cases involving victims who suffer harm in preventable truck accidents. In fact, our legal team has extensive experience representing victims of commercial trucking accidents, and Partner Rob Sachs has shared his insight on litigating these cases at public speaking engagements and legal seminars across the country.

Accidents involving commercial trucks and tractor-trailers are known for their increased potential for causing severe damage and serious injuries. As a result, many victims harmed in these wrecks face extensive physical and financial setbacks – including economic and non-economic damages caused by medical expenses, lost income, and their pain and suffering, among others. For this reason, it becomes vital that injured victims and families understand the merit and potential value of their cases, and that they take any settlement offers made by trucking companies or their insurance providers with warranted skepticism.

Commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. Thus, if they cause an accident, serious injuries or death could result. Trucking companies and truckers are responsible to inspect the truck before departure to ensure all necessary components are safe and functional. If a tire blows out, and you are injured as a result, you may pursue compensation against a variety of parties.

You may file a claim against:

• The truck driver
• The trucking company
• The truck maintenance provider
• The tire manufacturer

If the truck driver or trucking company failed to perform adequate inspection of the truck before the journey, they may be held liable in court. Some trucking companies use outside maintenance companies to service their trucks. If the maintenance crew failed to inspect the truck tires, or they performed improper maintenance and caused the blowout, they may be held liable for your injuries.

As an update on the truck/bus collision Wednesday in Pennsylvania, we are learning more about the truck company whose truck crossed the median and struck the bus. Subsequent reports about the accident indicated that the driver of the tractor trailer which crossed the median was Franklin Wyatt of Macomb, Oklahoma. He was driving for Greatwide Dedicated Transport, which is an operating division of Cardinal Logistics Holdings, LLC from North Carolina. We checked one of our resources for handling commercial truck cases and found that “Greatwide Dedicated Transport” corporate structure is becoming increasingly common in the interstate trucking industry.

We all heard sad news today that comedian Tracy Morgan was seriously injured while travelling back to New York from a comedy performance last night in Delaware. Preliminary investigation by the state police indicates that Morgan’s limo bus was hit from behind by a Walmart tractor-trailer that “didn’t see” slow moving traffic until it was too late. In addition to Morgan’s critical injuries, another person was killed. The tractor-trailer driver has been charged with death by auto and other charges.

I will be on the faculty of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s “Litigating Tractor Trailer Wrecks: These Are No Ordinary Car Accidents”” seminar this week in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I’ll be covering both a review of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (including the new hours of service rules) and talking about the latest case to help Pennsylvania truck and bus injury lawyers hold the company fully liable for harms and losses caused by their commercial vehicles.

Legislators began hearings this week to investigate what went wrong to cause the 100 vehicle pile-up on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Valentine’s Day. So far it doesn’t sound like there was a Penn DoT failure. They had worked to clear snow from a storm that had dumped up to one foot of snow on the area.

The speed restrictions had been lifted at 6:00 AM, about 2 1/2 hours before the chain reaction collision happened .Testimony also showed that the road had been plowed and salted just before the massive wreck happened.