Trucker Never Slowed Before Causing Fatal Accident, Says Attorney Brooks Schuelke
Jun 28, 2016
Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Perlmutter & Schuelke, PLLC
Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) June 28, 2016 – An 18-wheeler truck driver killed three in this horrendous Montgomery County accident in Texas.
Three cars were involved in this chain reaction accident — a Mercedes, Cadillac and another vehicle. Five vehicles in total were involved, and three passengers died as a result of this accident.
According to eyewitnesses at the scene of the crash, the trucker, hauling a load of lumber, did not even make an attempt to slow down prior to crashing into the Mercedes. Once hit, the Mercedes careened into the Cadillac, starting a deadly chain reaction. One accident survivor described the big rig as “flying.”
Thirty-seven year old trucker, Chad Fletcher, now faces one count of intoxication assault and three counts of intoxication manslaughter. Fletcher was arrested at the scene and sent to jail. Two people in the Mercedes were killed instantly, their child sent to Texas Children’s Hospital, and a woman in the Cadillac died later in hospital.
Brooks Schuelke, an Austin personal injury attorney intimately familiar with trucking accidents, and not involved in this case, points out that the negligence in this instance was on the part of the inebriated trucker. “He chose to drink and drive and in doing so, cost three people their lives,” Schuelke said.
But negligence also likely lies with the trucking company. “Problems in trucking accident cases don’t usually start immediately before the wreck,” Schuelke said. “Instead, the problems start when the trucking company failed to do proper background checks, failed to properly train the driver or failed to supervise the driver. We don’t know exactly what happened here, but in most of these cases, the driver’s improper conduct isn’t an isolated event — it is part of a pattern that the trucking company should have stopped long before the tragedy occurred.”
Accidents involving big rigs are highly complex and complicated, so it is best to seek legal counsel from an experienced attorney. It is important to understand what legal rights a plaintiff in this kind of case has and what they may expect should they take their case to court.
“It is also important for them to know that an experienced trucking accident attorney diligently tracks down all relevant evidence and defendants to ensure they get a fair and equitable settlement for their injuries,” said Schuelke.
Learn more at http://www.civtrial.com
Perlmutter & Schuelke, PLLC
206 East 9th Street, Ste. 1511
Austin, TX 78701
Call (512) 476-4944
- Mediation/Settlement Lessons From An NBA Trade
I’m not a huge NBA fan, but over the last few days, I have been listening to a variety of talk show hosts discuss the trade of former NBA MVP Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls to the New York Knicks in exchange for a few of the Knicks’ players. Normally, that wouldn’t be all […] - Texas Farm Bureau & Texas Department Of Insurance Trying To Take Away Important Rights
I’ve seen a lot of questionable conduct by insurance companies, but the latest proposal may take the cake. Texas Farm Bureau is now petitioning the Texas Department of Insurance to allow it to offer a “discount” to its home insurance customers in exchange for customers giving up their rights to a fair trial of any […] - Playground Concussions Are On The Rise
One of the recent headlines on Yahoo News was a story that playground concussions are on the rise. You might be surprised to find that I think this is great news. Why? I don’t think the actual number of concussions are rising. Instead, I think parents and school nurses and such are getting much better […]
