Box Truck and Van Crash in Franklin Causes a Death and Two Serious Injuries

A fatal crash involving a box truck and a van on Route 58 in Franklin has again highlighted the dangers posed by box trucks in Virginia.

Crashes involving commercial vehicles often entail severe injuries and deaths to others on the roads of Virginia. Motorists typically associate the most serious truck wrecks with 18-wheelers. However, drivers often underestimate the dangers posed by box trucks.

One person died and two others suffered serious injuries in the crash between a box truck and a van on Route 58 in July, according to Franklin Sheriff’s office.

News outlets reported one of the occupants of the van died in the wreck. The impact with the box truck caused the van to roll over. Two others from the van were airlifted to the hospital.

The driver of the box truck did not get hurt in the wreck, the sheriffs’ office stated. This severe crash closed down both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 58 for hours. The Virginia Department of Transportation set up a diversion. Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased and those who suffered serious injuries in this wreck.

No further details of the crash were released by the Franklin Sheriff’s office and it is not clear which driver caused this tragic accident.

Other Accidents Like This

This is the latest in a series of wrecks involving box trucks in Hampton Roads. In May, a crash involving a box truck left two motorists suffering from serious injuries following a two-vehicle crash on I-64 close to Camp Peary in York County. Police found a mangled pick-up truck and a Freightliner box truck at the accident scene.

A preliminary investigation into the wreck found the Freightliner truck traveling in the right lane ran off the roadway and struck the pick-up which was stopped on the shoulder. Both vehicles ended up in a ditch.

Police said both of the drivers were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Charges were reported to be pending.

The Dangers of Box Trucks

Box trucks are a real menace in Virginia and elsewhere. They are more common than big rigs on urban and suburban roads. Others drivers and pedestrians are more likely to encounter box trucks than 18-wheelers on city streets.

Alarmingly, the requirements to drive box trucks are laxer than those for big rigs. You don’t need a CDL license to rent a U-Hail or a Penske box truck. Very inexperienced drivers can be behind the wheels of large box trucks. They are often distracted and may fail to get to grips with the size of the truck they are driving.

Furthermore, box trucks are high-sided and prone to being blown over by gusts of wind or to tip over if a driver fails to slow down on a curve.

Box trucks are typically used by delivery drivers which means they make frequent stops and weave in and out of lanes. Another downside of box trucks that other drivers fail to realize is their massive blind spots at the rear and their sides. Never linger in these vehicles’ blind spots.

Cooper Hurley Has Experienced Truck Injury Attorneys

The attorneys at Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers have represented many victims of box trucks and their families. In 2014, we won a $1.5 million settlement for the family of a man who was killed by a box truck in Hampton Roads.

The commercial box truck rear-ended a van. The driver of the van was ejected and died at the accident scene. His family hired John Cooper and Jim Hurley of Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the truck and his employer. The trucker’s speedometer was stuck at 45 mph after the crash. The road had a 35-mph speed limit.

Our legal team discovered that the driver of the truck lacked a valid medical certificate at the time of the crash and potentially suffered from sleep apnea. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers uncovered hours of service violations. The commercial driver failed to get federally-mandated rest when moonlighting at a second job during the weeks before the wreck. The case was featured in Virginia Lawyers Weekly. All cases are different and we cannot guarantee a particular result in a case.

Unfortunately, box trucks continue to be a menace on the highways of Virginia. If you or a family member has been hit and hurt by a box truck, please call our legal team.