Timothy Ray Cockman Killed in Prairie County, AR, Accident
Prairie County, AR -- March 9, 2017, Timothy Ray Cockman was killed following an accident in which his 18-wheeler crashed off the highway.
The Arkansas State Police was called to investigate the single-vehicle accident at around 6:00 a.m. along I-40. The crash happened between Highway 11 and 13.
According to a preliminary accident report, 48-year-old Cockman was traveling eastbound on I-40 in a 2006 Freightliner when the vehicle somehow veered out of its traffic lane. The 18-wheeler crashed through the side cable and crossed over the median. The truck lost control as it did so and eventually overturned.
As a result of the collision, Cockman suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. No other people were reported to be involved.
Authorities have yet to say what caused the accident. Their investigations are ongoing.
Map of the Area
Commentary
Almost every day I come across people who like to attack personal injury lawyers as being "anti-trucker." This couldn't be further from the truth. As many accidents as I've handled over the years, I know very well that truckers are as vulnerable as anyone out on the road. The different is that the only things, more or less, which truly put their lives in danger are other 18-wheelers and their own 18-wheelers. I'd like to talk a bit about the latter.
Most people think that semis are incredibly sturdy because usually when a truck hits a car, the truck driver walks away okay. The reality is that the sturdiness of a truck is mostly in the base of the vehicle, which is incredibly sturdy and heavy. The cab, however, is surprisingly flimsy. Semis are all about hauling, which means every pound counts. The unfortunate result of this is usually what amounts to a light, flimsy cab sitting on top of a multi-ton slab of metal. This can result in truly devastating consequences.
When a truck overturns, the driver is at the mercy of their vehicle. Many trucks simply don't have proper safety features for protecting people inside the cab. I've seen accidents where a truck rolled over at relatively slow speeds. In those accidents, anyone driving a typical car or SUV, wearing their seatbelt, would have been fine or at least not so bad off. The truck driver, in those situations, died because the roof caved in on them. It's a problem that most people outside the industry aren't aware of, and it needs to be addressed. The article below offers a more in-depth look at the issue and the consequences surrounding it.
[iparticle id=1]
Regardless of what causes a truck to roll over, the ultimate risk to a driver's safety is the quality of their vehicle, and many truck drivers find themselves lacking in that department. Whether or not that's the case here remains to be seen. The fact that someone lost their life in this crash warrants a thorough investigation to determine just how safe their vehicle really was. Regardless of what caused a crash, being a truck driver doesn't have to be a death sentence. If poor safety features was involved in this accident, then the manufacturers need to be held accountable so that the issues are fixed and no other truck driver has to suffer the same tragedy.
--Grossman Law Offices
[jump]