A Pennsylvania truck driver faces impending charges for being involved in a tractor-trailer accident with a car in South Lebanon Township, Lebanon County. The trucker had missed a turn that he intended to make, so he continued down the road and tried to turn around to go back. In the process, according to a police news release, the semi-truck blocked both lanes of SR 419.

While the tractor-trailer was blocking the highway, a Nissan driven by a 68-year-old man from Annville came around a turn and hit the truck’s trailer. The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene, and his passenger was taken to Hershey Medical Center for treatment.

When a car is involved in a semi-truck accident, significant differences in the size and weight of the vehicles can lead to serious injury or death for the driver and passengers of the car, as in the Lebanon County case. Trucking accidents can be particularly complex as truck drivers are typically employed by companies that might share in liability for the crashes. In those cases, a lawyer could be of help with handling the legal issues that arise, particularly when someone involved dies during or after the accident.

A lawyer may help by researching and documenting the facts of the accident, which may lead to pursuing a wrongful death case. He or she could look for issues with the truck, such as improper maintenance or an unbalanced load. There could be problems with the driver, including speeding, fatigue, distraction or impaired driving. For those and other reasons, a lawyer might be able to seek compensation from insurance companies or other sources. Compensation could be for damages.

Source: WGAL, “Update: Charges pending against tractor-trailer driver in fatal crash,” Jan, 29, 2015