Was the Roadway Itself the Cause of This Man’s Death?

A single vehicle accident in Polk County, NC killed one and shut down I-26 Eastbound overnight at the end of January. The accident happened near Saluda at 2:15 a.m., when Tony Joseph Hurst of Chapin, SC crossed the median and flipped his trailer on the interstate. Hurst was wearing a seatbelt, but died on the…

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New Federal Requirement Mandates Electronic Records for Truckers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has introduced a new rule requiring commercial truck and bus drivers to electronically record their hours on the road. The requirement is a big change for the industry, which has kept paper logs since the 1930s. The new system will make it harder to falsify logs, but it is,…

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Can-Opener Bridge Claims 102nd Victim

America’s aging infrastructure, coupled with a rise in distracted and fatigued driving, has created a recipe for disaster. Durham Bridge was built before the regulation of minimum clearance heights, and while a series of large warning signs line the roadway approaching the bridge, they are proving ineffective at reducing the number of accidents. In 2008,…

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Why Big Rigs Cause More Accidents – and Who Is to Blame

Big rigs are dangerous. They account for more than their share of accidents on the roads in South Carolina, which we have discussed before. These are giant tractor trailers (sometimes called 18-wheelers or semis, which is short for semi-trailers) that are used to transport goods from one place in the state to another, or even…

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Truck Crashes: What to Expect After Your Truck Accident

We have talked about why big rigs are so dangerous before, and with good reason. Truck crashes are terrifying. When accidents happen involving tractor-trailers or semi trucks, the injuries can be severe – or even worse, fatal. Proving fault can require meticulous and thorough documentation; truck companies deal with accidents all the time, and consequentially…

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South Carolina Has More Trucks on the Road than Ever

South Carolina is booming. The population increased by 35% between 1990 and 2012. The state’s GDP increased by 53% in the same period. While this is great news for residents, it comes at a high cost. Total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the state have increased by 43%, totaling 49 billion miles in 2012. According…

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Commercial Truck Accidents: Moving Beyond the Big Rig

When we think of commercial trucks, we usually think of tractor-trailers. But the category of “commercial truck” is a large one, and you may be more likely to have an auto accident on a South Carolina road way with a far smaller commercial vehicle. Just because the truck does not have 18 wheels, however, does…

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Why Big Rigs Are So Dangerous

Big rigs, or tractor-trailers, are massive towing machines. They are a “necessary evil” on the road, transporting all sorts of materials through South Carolina and across the country every day. However, they can also be extremely dangerous to others on the road for a number of different reasons: Problem number one. Big rigs are, well,…

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