People in Georgia likely realize the importance of being able to rely on semi-trucks to deliver cargo and freight across the country. Yet their role in the national economy does not minimize the danger that such vehicles can pose to others on the road around them. Their massive size may all but ensure that any accident they might be involved in produces catastrophic results. The hope is that not only are those driving them trained to the highest of industry safety standards, but also that they take the responsibility of keeping their vehicles under the complete control very seriously.
Those drivers that do not take this responsibility to heart may end up causing untold harm. This fact was reaffirmed in a fiery crash that recently occurred in Indiana. A semi-truck crashed into a line of cars that was halted due to freeway construction. Ultimately, seven vehicles were involved in the crash. One of the cars caught fire, killing its occupants (a young woman and her two daughters). Seven others sustained injuries that required them to be hospitalized. Investigators say that the driver of the semi-truck was speeding before he hit the other vehicles. He has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide.
Oftentimes, cases may have both a civil and criminal law element. Accident victims (and/or their families) may wish to pursue a civil claim against the responsible parties, while law enforcement officials may have grounds to charge the responsible parties with crimes. In such situations, those seeking civil action do not need to wait for the criminal cases to be resolved; they may work with attorneys to file lawsuits simultaneously.
