The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

A roller operator standing in an I-80 median with other workers was killed Wednesday when she was hit with a wheel that came loose from a passing tractor-trailer near Omaha, Nebraska. A coworker of the victim's was also hit and taken to the hospital in serious condition with head and back injuries.

Both workers were standing near a Nebraska Department of Roads vehicle when two wheels came off the passing truck. One wheel hit the NDOR vehicle on the driver's side door, but the driver was not badly hurt.

The rig was pulling a belly dump truck (dumps its load from the bottom of the trailer) and the driver apparently had no indication that the wheels came off the trailer. He continued driving and dumped the load. Workers noticed the truck's missing wheels as he came back past the scene of the accident and radioed for the driver to stop.

Nebraska state troopers investigating the accident allegedly found 16 violations when they looked at the rig. The 30-year-old driver was cited for all 16 violations.

Defective trucks plague the highways all across the nation. In an effort to maximize profit, many trucking companies and individual truck drivers skirt rules and regulations that keep the rest of us safe. This particular situation shows you don't necessarily need to be involved in being involved directly with the truck to be seriously injured or killed.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, please contact the experienced truck accident attorneys at the Cochran Firm for an initial consultation.

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