Jeremy Hullaby Killed in Wrong-Way Truck Crash on I-85 in Troup County, GA
UPDATE (April 18, 2022): Authorities later identified the truck driver killed in this accident as Jeremy Hullaby.
Troup County, GA -- April 11, 2022, a 33-year-old truck driver was killed in a crash after going the wrong way on Interstate 85 in Troup County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 1:30 a.m. on southbound I-85 near mile marker 7. Preliminary investigation suggests the victim was driving a big rig north in the southbound lanes, against traffic, when he collided with a second tractor-trailer in the roadway. After the impact the wrong-way truck veered into the median then re-entered southbound traffic where it hit another vehicle.
The wrong-way truck driver reportedly died at the scene. Other injuries were reported but it's unclear who was hurt or to what extent.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Jeremy Hullaby Truck Accident on I-85 in Troup County
Reports only provide a partial account of this crash. That's understandable given how recent it was, but the narrative as it stands really creates more questions than answers.
The first and most obvious question everyone will probably ask is "Why was that truck driver going the wrong way?" That could have a lot of answers, but in order to find the true one more questions probably need to be asked. For instance, what is visibility like along this stretch of road? Are there curves or obscured lines of sight? Are the road's divider and fog lines clear? Did both trucks have their headlights on? Could any additional factors have been involved like driver distraction, disorientation, fatigue, or possibly even intoxication? Was anything wrong with the truck itself that kept the driver from maintaining his lane? Perhaps most importantly, would a reasonably prudent professional driver have done all the same things that truck driver did?
The answer to the final question seems already answered if the commercial rig was traveling against traffic on the highway, but it's still critical to find out why that happened. Finding the root cause will help determine who should be held responsible for the fatal crash--keeping in mind that the company behind that driver may bear a share of the blame under the legal concept of respondeat superior, or "let the master answer." Finding all the objective facts of the matter will keep any misdirects or excuses from being introduced by the company in the event it's asked to take responsibility.
Sometimes police are able to discern all the needed information for that, but other times subtle details escape them and a complete picture is never really found. That's why I often recommend working with independent accident reconstructionists after commercial crashes. Those experts have the training and tools to make sure no harder-to-find information goes unnoticed, and when it comes time to hold someone accountable for the damage caused by this crash, every detail counts.
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