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An analysis of statistics indicates that each year, approximately 5,000 people in passenger vehicles are killed in accidents with semi-trucks. These crashes also kill approximately 700 people inside the semi-trucks. 64% of fatal semi-truck crashes involve a truck that was pulling at least one trailer. A truck driver typically drives thousands of miles in just a few days, and many truck drivers get paid per mile, so there is an incentive for staying on the road longer, even after fatigue has set in. Federal regulations govern how long a truck driver can drive and when they must take breaks, as well as how long those breaks must be. Still, drowsy driving is one of the major causes of semi-truck crashes.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reports on a van with disabled passengers crashing into a semi-truck, leading to two deaths.
Last Monday, a passenger van that was transporting special-needs adults slammed into the back of a semi-trailer.
The accident occurred in Union City, where the tractor-trailer was stopped in a left lane on Royal Parkway, waiting to make a left into the parking lot of a business. The Ford Transit van slammed into the right bumper of the rig.
The driver of the van and a passenger in the second row were both killed at the scene. An additional seven more people were injured. The driver was identified as 33-year-old Aquilla Walker. She was a staff member of InCommunity, a nonprofit organization based in Atlanta. The group supports adults with disabilities and their families.
At the time of the accident, Walker was transporting passengers home from an adult daycare in the area. It was a trip that Walker made daily as a direct care provider.
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