Wrongful Death Lawsuit by Woman Seeks Damages for 18-Wheeler Truck Accident that Killed Her Dad and 13-Year-Old Son
Melissa Hinkle’s life changed forever when she was seriously injured in a catastrophic tractor-trailer crash on July 5. Hinkle, her dad Gervious Dale Hinkle, and 13-year-old son Casey were riding a Ford Explorer on I-35 when their vehicle was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler truck as they were going into a construction zone.
Melissa’s father, 63, and son died in the truck accident while Melissa sustained serious physical and emotional injuries. She ended up in the ICU and must now cope with recovery and getting back to a life that her father and son will no longer be a part of.
In her wrongful death lawsuit, Hinkle is suing Refrigerated Delivery, the Texas Department of Transportation, truck driver Randy Crume, and KKM Construction Inc. for damages. A police officer says that Crume neglected to control the speed of his 18-wheeler truck before slamming into the Hinkles' auto and a number of other vehicles. The construction company is under contract with TxDOT.
Hinkle’s wrongful death complaint accuses KKM Construction Inc of causing the traffic to back up for miles on the interstate bridge. Almost a month later, on August 3, three people died in another tractor-trailer accident when the large truck drove into vehicles that were stuck in another traffic jam.
Truck drivers know that they have to slow down and even stop whenever they are driving through a highway construction zone. Failure to do so, especially when there are other vehicles and highway construction workers in the area, can lead to catastrophic consequences. That said, the parties in charge of a highway construction zone must also execute the necessary safety measures to prevent highway work zone accidents from happening.
Deadly Construction Zone Leads To Lawsuit, 33TV.com, August 6, 2009
Texas Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed After Truck Accident Kills Two, About Lawsuits, August 13, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Work Zone Safety
