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Fatal commercial vehicle accident

By Butler Prather LLP on October 20, 2016

Gilmer County’s fire chief reported a commercial vehicle accident involving a tour bus and a tractor-trailer truck that resulted in the death of one person and injuries sustained by 43 other people. The accident occurred on Oct. 13 at around 11:15 a.m. at the intersection of Georgia State Road 515 and Whitestone Road.

According to information gathered by the Georgia State Patrol, the tour bus was traveling north when the tractor-trailer truck tried to turn onto Georgia State Road 515 from Whitestone Road. The driver of the tractor-trailer truck had come to a stop to allow oncoming traffic to proceed. While the driver of the truck was waiting in the northbound lane, the driver of the tour bus, which was transporting 48 passengers, struck the rear, left tandem area of the tractor-trailer.

The lanes of Highway 515 heading north were closed in order to attend to the victims of the crash. Local hospitals received 43 individuals with injuries. One victim was air-lifted to Kennestone Hospital in Marietta. The driver of the tour bus was killed as a result of the crash. The investigation of the accident is still underway.

A commercial vehicle accident can cause catastrophic injuries to others who are on the road. . Because of their size and weight, many commercial vehicles take longer than other vehicles to slow down and stop and may be difficult for a driver to navigate if a sudden stop is required. When an accident is caused by the negligence of the driver of a commercial vehicle, people who have been injured may want to meet with an attorney to see whether the driver’s employer can be held financially responsible for their losses under the theory of vicarious liability.


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