The man was apparently initially discovered by the camera crews of a local news station, prompting the employees of the news station to call 911, as the truck was stopped in a lane of traffic, with the engine still running, as the man lay asleep behind the wheel.

A Georgia Department of Transportation HERO unit arrived and tried to revive the man and remove the keys from the ignition. The driver awoke, engaged in some sort of confrontation with the HERO worker and sped off, nearly hitting the HERO worker, and colliding into two other cars. This caused a chain reaction that eventually resulted in a five car accident. The incident reportedly occurred at the Buford Connector near downtown Atlanta.

The HERO worker was finally able to get the keys out of the man’s truck, prompting the driver to attempt to flee on foot, reportedly jumping over a barbed wire fence. The police have reportedly been unable to track the man down. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured as a result of the incident.

This case, like most accidents, is one that could have easily been avoided. It remains unclear what the man must have been thinking when he not only fought the HERO worker, but then instead of pulling his vehicle over, instead accelerated into traffic, causing a collision.

People understandably become tired; it is human nature to need a certain amount of sleep. However, what is not acceptable is resisting the urge to rest, and failing to pull to the side of the road when we start to notice the signs of fatigue taking over.

So-called “drowsy driving” is so prevalent, in fact, that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration joined together with several other organizations to conduct a study into the problem, and investigate potential solutions. Among the findings of the study:

“NHTSA data indicate that in recent years there have been about 56,000 crashes annually in which driver drowsiness/fatigue was cited by police. Annual averages of roughly 40,000 nonfatal injuries and 1,550 fatalities result from these crashes.”

And these statistics are believed to be underreported, meaning an even greater number of collisions may be a result of a drowsy driver behind the wheel.

Drivers are required to drive in a way which does not create an unnecessary or undue risk for pedestrians and others driving on the road. When a driver engages in a behavior that puts others at risk, he or she should be held accountable for any damages, including personal injury, which they cause. In this case, once apprehended, the man responsible for causing the massive accident could potentially face both criminal and civil lawsuits arising out of his questionable decisionmaking.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident due to another individual’s negligent driving, consult an experienced Atlanta car accident attorney as soon as possible. Stephen Ozcomert is a knowledgeable personal injury attorney with over 20 years of experience, and is skilled at representing individuals and their families who have been injured as a result of the negligent or reckless driving of others in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. We will handle your case with the utmost care, and pride ourselves in following the highest ethical standards of representation. Call us today  at (404)-370-1000 in order to schedule your free initial consultation, or you can reach us through our website.

More Blog Posts:

Road Rage Suspected in Deadly Gainesville Crash, Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published October 9, 2013

Multiple Fatalities in Church Bus Collision, including Atlanta Truck Driver, Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published October 2, 2013

A police spokesman said in a statement that a 911 call was received wherein the caller stated that a pickup truck was repeatedly and aggressively hitting a Toyota Highlander from behind for unknown reasons. The call came in just after midnight.

According to the transcript of the 911 call, the couple in the Highlander said that the truck had been following them for some time, and that he repeatedly turned his headlights off and on, and continued to ram into the back of their vehicle.

Then, according to police, the driver of the pickup truck attempted to pass the Highlander, and crashed head on into an SUV in oncoming traffic. The crash can be heard on the recording of the 911 call. The caller stated that the man, “just hit somebody head-on going about 70 miles an hour.” Both the driver of the pickup and the SUV died during the collision.

The pickup was reportedly also carrying two female passengers, both of whom were taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

There are several different things going on here. First and foremost, if the statements regarding his driving are true, the driver of the pickup was operating his pickup in a reckless manner. By intentionally and repeatedly slamming into the car in front of him at highway speeds, he was putting not only the individuals in the Highlander at risk, but also his passengers, and anyone else on the road for that matter. This behavior seems to strongly indicate that he was not operating his truck in the way that a reasonably prudent (careful) person would do, which is a requirement in establishing a negligence claim. Therefore, all of those individuals directly affected by this recklessness would have a strong claim against the driver (his estate) for any personal injury or property damaged that his actions caused.

Secondly, and unfortunately tragically, the reckless driving led to a subsequent decision to attempt to pass the Highlander, and resulted in a head on collision with the driver of the SUV. Literally but for his reckless driving, the young woman who was driving the SUV would still be alive, likely meeting the standard for a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims attempt to compensate families for the loss of love and companionship of their loved one. Additionally, if the person was working at the time, there can sometimes be a claim for the lost wages, and also in some cases for funeral and other related expenses.

If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in a car accident due to another individual’s negligent driving, consult an experienced Atlanta car accident attorney as soon as possible. Stephen Ozcomert is a knowledgeable personal injury attorney with over 20 years of experience, and is skilled at representing individuals and their families who have been injured as a result of the negligent or reckless driving of others in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. Contact us today in order to schedule your free initial consultation. You can reach us by calling (404)-370-1000 or through our website.

More Blog Posts:

Multiple Fatalities in Church Bus Collision, including Atlanta Truck Driver, Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published October 2, 2013

Incredibly Tragic Accident in Douglasville on I-20 Involving Several Children, Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published September 26, 2013