A North Carolina mother watched helplessly as her daughter was run down by a tractor-trailer recently. To make matters worse, the truck kept going after hitting the little girl. As happens in many pedestrians vs. truck accidents, the victim did not survive.
The child’s school bus, which was taking students home after school, and the tractor-trailer were both heading south on U.S. Highway 421. According to police, the school bus had stopped to let the little girl off of the bus when tragedy struck. The lights on the school bus were flashing, but for some reason, the approaching tractor-trailer disregarded the lights and went around the bus. It was then that the little girl was run down.
The driver of the 18-wheeler made no apparent efforts to stop at the time of the accident and was not found for several hours. When the vehicle was found, the truck driver had managed to get about 25 miles away to a nearby town. The North Carolina Highway Patrol arrested the driver.
Involuntary manslaughter and drunk driving charges were filed against the driver, along with related accusations for passing a stopped school bus and fleeing the scene of an accident. Once the official report is complete, the girl’s family may find it of use if they elect to file a wrongful death action against the truck driver. It is also possible that the family can name the driver’s employer in the lawsuit as well. Since most truckers are “on the job” at the time of truck accidents, many of their employers end up being named in civil actions stemming from accidents. If the family decides to proceed, they will have the opportunity to prove the child lost her life due to the negligent and perhaps reckless actions of the truck driver.
Source: abclocal.go.com, “Truck driver was taken into custody in Sampson County fatal accident,” April 22, 2013