Truck Company Sued For Wrongful Death After NC Big Rig Accident

Trucking company B&J Transportation continues its trend of unsafe driving and federal regulations violations according to the Republican-American. A string of trucking accidents along the east coast highlights safety violations such as badly secured cargo, too-heavy loads, and poor maintenance records.

Last year, the truck company was sued for wrongful death after one of their drivers allegedly killed a man while on the road in North Carolina. In January of 2008, a B&J Transportation 18-wheeler was carrying a load of potatoes on a dangerously curvy stretch of two-lane highway when the big rig left its lane, crossed the center line, and hit a pick-up truck head-on. The driver of the pick-up truck, Glenn Shumate, died in the crash.

During the North Carolina wrongful death trial later that year, it was argued that the truck was 37,000 pounds overweight and was driving on the small, dangerous road to avoid a weigh station on the interstate. The truck also allegedly didn't have working brakes at the time of the accident, which may have been the result of poor maintenance or a violation of federal trucking regulations.