By John Cooper, Eastern Shore VA Accident Lawyer

George Roberts Stevens Sr. of Belle Haven was driving in his Ford Ranger along U.S. 13 in Accomack County when his life came to a tragic end. He hit the back end of a tractor trailer, veered off the road and ultimately wound up slamming into a Caterpillar grader, according to the Daily Press.

The details of this tragic truck/tractor trailer accident include the fact that immediately after Mr. Stevens’ Ranger hit the back of the tractor trailer his airbags deployed and smoke started to fill up the cabin of the truck. This probably hindered his vision and contributed to the Ranger going off the road and hitting the grader.

There are many questions that need to be answered regarding this accident. First and foremost, what caused smoke to infiltrate the cabin of the truck? The Ford Ranger series that has been subject to numerous recalls including vehicle speed control and the power train differential unit. Could either of these issues played a role in the accident? We can’t say for sure.

Another potential factor to consider is that some trailers do not have proper working rear lights and under-ride bars to prevent a car or truck’s occupants from suffering a head injury from running under the back of the trailer. We don’t know if the trailer involved in this wreck lacked working lights and under-ride bars though it should be investigated since this accident occurred early in the morning.

A passenger in the Ranger named George Wharton suffered injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. I hope Mr. Wharton recuperates and Mr. Stevens’ family is able to get through the grieving process.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm handling Eastern Shore VA injury accident law and we have handled thousands of car and truck accident cases, including many on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Check out our case results to see for yourself. We are familiar with Route 13, including people from Accomack, Onancock, Chincoteauge, Wachapreague, and Cape Charles, Bloxom, Eastville, Exmore, Greenbackville, Machipongo, Mappsville, Melfa, Nassawadox, Onley, Tangier, Temperanceville, Wachapreague, and Wallops Island. We provide free injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included among the “Best Lawyers in America” 2010 Edition. These two, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper were named 2010 Virginia “Super Lawyers” For Personal Injury Law (less than 5% of outstanding lawyers are chosen), and our firm includes attorneys selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical, respected law firms. We provide this blog as a pro bono public service.

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