A devastating multi-vehicle accident on Interstate-75 near Valdosta, Georgia killed four people, including a three-year-old child, and resulted in injuries to 13 others over the weekend. Troopers with the Georgia State Patrol were reportedly responding to an initial crash involving two vehicles on August 10, when an alleged distracted semi-truck driver caused a second pileup involving eight vehicles. If you have suffered injuries in a GA trucking accident, or if you lost a loved one in a fatal crash with a tractor-trailer, contact our reputable trucking accident lawyers at Rechtman & Spevak for legal help. Our law firm is located in Atlanta, and our attorneys have extensive experience protecting the rights of trucking accident victims throughout Georgia.
Big-Rig Causes Second Pileup
The initial Georgia car crash took place when a vehicle in one of I-75’s southbound lanes blew a tire, causing the driver to lose control and hit the median. Shortly afterward, another vehicle struck the first, causing traffic on the freeway to back up as seven victims of the accident were attended to by emergency crews. “Traffic had stopped due to the first crash on the interstate, and for whatever reason, a tractor-trailer Southbound struck the stopped vehicles in the roadway,” said Sergeant Carl Taylor with the Georgia State Patrol. “It made contact with a total of, I believe, seven other vehicles, which would be a total of eight vehicles in the crash.” Two of the vehicles involved in the wreck with the semi-truck suffered extensive damage, resulting in four fatalities.
Truck Driver May Have Been Distracted
According to Sergeant Taylor, the driver of the big-rig involved in the wreck, 54-year-old Zemir Malkoc, was transported to South Georgia Medical Center to be treated for his injuries, and may be facing multiple charges in the fatal traffic accident that killed Steven Anderson of Florida, Ronald Balzer and his wife Tamara Balzer of Tennessee, and their three-year-old granddaughter, Hayleigh Fowler of Florida. Sergeant Taylor reports that the GSP investigation into the fatal trucking accident is still ongoing, but that Zemir Malkoc may have been distracted behind the wheel of his big-rig, and may be to blame for the devastating wreck. Distracted driving has been a growing problem across the state of Georgia.
Contact Our Trucking Accident Attorneys Today
Trucking accidents in Georgia and across the country often result in serious injuries or fatalities, due to the sheer size and weight of a typical tractor-trailer or big-rig. Unfortunately, when truck drivers are distracted or fatigued behind the wheel, the risk of a deadly trucking accident taking place increase exponentially. If you have been injured in a trucking accident in Atlanta, Marietta, or elsewhere in Georgia, consult our knowledgeable trucking accident lawyers at Rechtman & Spevak today. You may have grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit against the person or party found at-fault in the accident, in order to pursue financial compensation for your injuries and medical expenses.
Source: http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Multi-Vehicle-Collision-Leaves-4-Dead-3-Others-Injured-near-Valdosta-270749751.html
