Chicago Trucker in Tractor-Trailer Crash Involving Special Needs Bus Was Speeding
According to investigators, Chicago truck driver Zygmunt Wieckowski was speeding when he lost control of his tractor-trailer on snow-slick roads and struck a special needs bus on January 6. Seven people were injured and four people died.
The fatal tractor-trailer collision happened on Interstate Highway 70 when the large truck formed a jackknife, crossing over the median to meet oncoming traffic. Killed in the truck crash were bus passengers Kenny Fry, Alonson Ruffin, Traci Williams, and Lonnie Acton. Six other bus passengers were injured. Wieckowski, a Chicago resident, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
Jackknife Truck Crashes
Truck driver inattention, distracted driving, speeding, drunk driving, texting while driving, talking on the cell phone, and truck part malfunctions can force the trucker to suddenly step on the brakes, causing the vehicle to jackknife into a V formation, block the road, and strike approaching vehicles. This type of truck collision can prove catastrophic for other motorists, who may find it impossible to avoid colliding with this massive vehicle that has suddenly come swinging at them. Jackknife truck collisions can involve multiple vehicles, causing pileups and resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries.
Speeding, the factor cited in this particular truck crash, always increases the chances of a motor vehicle crash occurring. This is why it is so important for large truck drivers to pay attention and abide by the speed limit. It is usually the other motorists and pedestrians that suffer because a trucker did not follow traffic laws or was negligent in other ways.
4 dead when Chicago trucker jackknifes, hits van in Ohio, WGNTV.com, January 8, 2010
Truck speed cited in crash with special needs bus, Washington Post, January 22, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
For years, our Chicago truck accident lawyers have successfully represented Illinois truck crash victims in Lake County, Cook County, Will County, and DuPage County. Contact the Law Offices of Steven J. Malman & Associates, PC today.
