Truck driver hit with six-month sentence in death of three

A New Jersey truck driver was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years probation for gross negligence in operating a tractor trailer, resulting in an April, 2008 truck accident which killed three.  The driver was hauling an improperly secured load of paper.  As he proceeded downhill on an exit ramp at an excessive speed, the trailer tipped over landing on top of two cars.  The occupants of one car was killed instantly, while the driver of the other car died due to his injuries five months later.

Truck drivers are responsible for the securement of their loaded unless they are hauling a sealed container.  A sealed container is one which is locked by the shipper and cannot be opened by the truck driver.  Otherwise, the driver is responsible for making sure that the weight is distributed on the trailer and the load is secured into place so that when the truck turns, the center of gravity for the load does not shift and turn the trailer over.

Besides making sure that the load is properly secured, the truck driver is responsible for the safe operation of the tractor-trailer.  This means that the speed of the truck should be reduced when making truns to make sure that the load and that the center of gravity of the load does nto shift so far over during teh trun that the trailer turns over.  There was evidence as to this wrongful death truck accident that had the truck driveeer shifted into a lower gear, the truck would have slowed and this truck accident would have been prevented.

Any time you see that a trailer has turned over, the two immediate causes that come to mind are improper loading and improper operation of the tractor trailer.  These are factors that are in the control of the truck driver for which he bears responsibility.

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