Road Rage and Tractor Trailers are a Volatile Mix - Just Ask Carlos Perez

Imagine, one minute driving along the freeway without a care in the world, and the next minute looking in your rear view mirror and seeing nothing but the grill of a semi truck.

That’s exactly what happened to Carlos Perez of Geneva, New York, on August 21, 2009. Mr. Perez was driving his car with three other passengers, including two children, 12 and 5, on the New York State Thruway. Trucker Ronald J. Constable, Jr. of Earlton, New York was hauling kerosene on the same stretch of road. The trucker came upon Mr. Perez’ car which was cruising at 60 M.P.H. in the passing lane. He decided to "coax" Mr. Perez back into the right hand lane by maneuvering his tractor trailer within a few feet of the car. Mr. Perez responded to the tailgating maneuver by reducing the speed of his car. The truck driver then decided to coax Mr. Perez even further by ramming his Kerosene filled truck into the back of the Perez’ car several times. Mr. Perez pulled over to the side of the Thruway and Mr. Constable followed. Mr. Constable got out of his truck and approached Mr. Perez who was still seated in his car. He then proceeded to beat and choke Mr. Perez in front of the two children.

At this point a passing trooper saw the incident and stopped. The trucker was charged with felony reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child, and harassment.

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Harry Reid's Wife and Daughter Hit by a Tractor Trailer

Senator Harry Reid's wife and daugher were involved in a four-vehicle wreck yesterday, leaving 69-year-old Landra Reid with a broken neck, a broken back, and a broken nose. The couple's 48-year-old daugher, Lana Reid Barringer, suffered a neck injury and facial lacerations, after a tractor trailer rear-ended their car. They were both transported by ambulance to a hospital in nearby Falls Church, Virginia.

The wreck happened at about 1 PM on I-95 in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Washington. Ms. Barringer was driving her Honda Odyssey van when a tractor trailer, carrying huge rolls of plastic, rear-ended them. The force from the 18 wheeler was so severe that the Honda crashed into a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which in turn collided with a fourth vehicle.

Both Mrs. Reid and Mrs. Barringer were wearing their seatbelts, and although Honda Odysseys are considered to be among the safest vehicles in their class, the tractor trailer still inflicted tremendous damage.

The 59-year-old trucker, Alan W. Snader, of Ohio, was charged with reckless driving after an investigation at the scene by state police. He was not injured.

Harry and Landra Reid were high school sweethearts, who married in 1959. They have five adult children. Mrs. Barringer has three children.

South Carolina personal injury attorney Michael Jeffcoat represents people who have been seriously injured by 18 wheeler trucks. Accidents involving tractor trailers frequently involve difficult legal issues that are completely different from the issues found in typical accidents. Automobile accidents and truck accidents are not the same, in other words. We encourage you to hire an experienced trucking accident attorney if you or your loved one has been injured.

Know your legal rights.

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Fatal Tractor Trailer Crash in Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Thirty-seven-year-old Jessica Lyn Wright was killed Monday when her 2009 Ford car was involved in a collision with a tractor trailer and a South Carolina Department of Transportation dump truck. The accident happened on the southbound side of Interstate 85, between the Brockman-McClimon Road and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport exits, near Greer, South Carolina. The collision, which happened at about 9:50 AM, is still under investigation. Ms. Wright was pronounced dead upon her arrival at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center at 10:53 AM. She had been partially ejected from her vehicle, and was airlifted to the hospital from the scene. The tractor trailer driver and the dump truck driver were both uninjured. At the time of the accident, Sixty-six-year-old Charles Ray Smith, of Casar, North Carolina, was driving the tractor trailer, and Twenty-two-year-old James Michael Pridemore, of nearby Inman, South Carolina, was driving the dump truck.

This was the third wreck of the morning along that stretch of I-85, as traffic was backed up throughout the morning hours. One of the earlier wrecks also involved tractor trailers. In that accident, a tractor trailer driver did not slow down in time to avoid traffic ahead of it, ran into a Honda Civic automobile, and then sideswiped another 18-wheeler. The at-fault tractor trailer driver was charged with following too closely.

The cause of the accident which caused the fatality is unknown, and the investigation is still ongoing by the South Carolina Highway Patrol, according to Lance Corporal Bill Rhyne.

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