Lietz Law Firm Personal Injury Attorney Analyzes Fatal Tractor-Trailer Collision in Utah

Washington, D.C. (Law Firm Newswire) April 30, 2014 – A man was killed in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer in Wasatch County, Utah.

According to state police, the accident occurred on State Road 40 near Strawberry Reservoir. At 5:00 pm on March 17, during a snowstorm on a two-lane road, a tractor-trailer attempted to pass a slower-moving vehicle. Craig L. Batchelor of Clinton, Utah, died at the scene.

“Too often, I see accidents where a semi truck driver is not driving as safely as he or she should, given the road and traffic conditions,” says Washington, D.C., personal injury attorney David Lietz. “In this case, the local paper described the weather as “white-out conditions.” If accurate, that casts serious doubt on whether the truck should have been on the road in the first place. Truck drivers are legally required to pull over and wait out any conditions that make it impossible to operate the truck safely.”

The tractor-trailer was eastbound behind a slower-moving SUV when it entered the westbound lane in order to pass. It then struck Batchelor’s pickup truck head-on. According to news reports, the accident occurred in a no-passing zone.

“The list of alleged factors against the truck driver in this case is staggering,” Lietz went on. “Operating a semitrailer in a snowstorm is bad enough, but to pass in a no-passing zone under those conditions is beyond negligent – it’s reckless.”

The driver of the SUV was also injured, but the truck driver, whom news reports did not name, was not. The truck was carrying crude oil. The tank remained intact and the oil did not spill, but the truck blocked both lanes for four hours.

According to police, Batchelor was not wearing a seat belt. A passenger in his pickup truck was wearing a seat belt and escaped with minor injuries.

“Always wear your seat belt, and if you are injured in an auto accident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible,” Lietz suggests.