Tractor trailer rollover accident kills municipal employee

A tractor trailer roll-over accident killed an employee of a New Jersey town's streets and roads department on Wednesday.  The victim was driving a municipality pick-up truck when the big rig rolled over and crushed the pick-up truck.

One key aspect to the safe operation of a tractor trailer is load stability.  In essence, the trailer must be loaded in such a way that the trailer will not tip over while on the load.  This requires making sure that the load is properly balanced on the trailer and that it is secure on the trailer so that it does not shift while in transit.  Load shifting is a major cause of tractor trailer roll-over accidents.

Before a trailer is taken away from a warehouse, the driver must inspect the load to make sure that it is properly secured, and if it is not, he cannot take the tractor trailer out on the road.  Further, the driver is required to make periodic inspections of the load to makes sure that there has been no shifting of the load in transit.

The only exception to this rule is where the driver is hauling a sealed load -- that is a load which has been loaded at the warehouse and then locked.  This is sometimes done as a theft prevention measures.  Where the driver is hauling a sealed load, then it falls to the warehouse to make sure that the trailer is properly loaded.

In a wrongful death tractor trailer roll over accident such as this, one key aspect to making sure that the family of the victim is properly compensated is an early investigation of the accident.  As the New Jersey state trooper properly noted, doing a proper investigation of the accident takes times, but starting early is key because the condition of the load must be documented properly.  Further, if the load was in fact a sealed load, it is sometimes difficult to identify the company that was responsible for loading the trailer.  An experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer will recognize these issues and start a thorough investigation immediately.