Hazardous Material Truck Crashes

Driver Trusted To Transport Explosive Gases Becomes Distracted

Some drivers are trusted more than others. Some drivers are given the training to understand their vehicle and their cargo have a greater degree of harm to the public than others. Drivers transporting hazardous and flammable compressed gases are within this category. Due to the explosive nature of the gases, these professional drivers are trained in strict adherence of Federal and State safety regulations.

Given this additional training, the biggest threat to the general public happens when a driver of hazardous cargo allows himself to become distracted. That is exactly what happened on a sunny afternoon in Baker, Louisiana.

Our client was stopped at a red light along Main Street. She was enjoying conversation with her passenger, discussing plans for the evening, and watching bus loads of children on their way home from school. Even though she was stopped, our client occasionally glanced in her rear-view mirror. Her last glance left her frozen with fear – – a large truck, loaded with compressed flammable gas cylinders was on a non-stop collision course with her vehicle. Since she was not the first car in line, she could not escape the imminent collision. She could only pray there would be no explosion.

As the collision occurred she grabbed the wheel and jammed her foot on the brake to try and protect the vehicle in front of her. Fortunately, there was no explosion. She exited her totaled car and thanked God.

While the tanks did not rupture, her life did end up exploding. The injuries from this crash resulted in a neck surgery, years of physical therapy, and total disability. Her job had kept her active and engaging with people on a daily basis, however this distracted driver forced her to prematurely retire and leave a job she loved.

Our attorneys got out in front of this case and gave the defendants no opportunity to manufacture a defense. We were able to secure this recovery for our client and provide her a residual income to replace that which was lost.