Wisconsin Truck Accident Law : Wisconsin Truck Accident Lawyer & Attorney : Rozek Law Offices : Milwaukee, Madison, Kenosha, La Crosse

The man responsible for losing control of his semi-truck in Chippewa Falls has finally been convicted, three and a half years after the crash. On Wednesday, a federal jury found Michael Kozlowski of Schererville, Indiana, guilty of 20 counts of making false entries in his trucking log. Each individual conviction could result in up to five years in federal prison. Kozlowski's sentencing will be held on July 24, 2009, by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb.

Kozlowski was acquitted by a jury after a trial in state court two years earlier. The prosecutors in that case charged Kozlowski with several different counts, including five counts of negligent homicide. Kozlowski's attorney in that case argued that the crash was primarily the fault of the man driving the bus that crashed into Kozlowski's overturned semi, because the bus driver was not wearing his eyeglasses.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Learn more about Wisconsin Truck Accident Law

Contact a Wisconsin Truck Accident Attorney

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating a semi-truck rollover accident that resulted in at least one fatality. The accident occured on Highway 41 in Outagamiie County near the Holland Road exit. At least three other people were airlifted to Theda Clark Hospital. According to the hospital spokesperson, they were identified as a 66 year-old Mosinee, Wisconsin man in good condition, a 44 year-old Appleton, Wisconsin man in serious condition, and a 27 year-old Greenville, Wisconsin woman in critical condition.

Preliminary investigations and witnesses seem to suggest that the wind may have played a role in causing the semi-truck to lose control and rollover.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Learn more about Wisconsin Truck Accident Law

Contact a Wisconsin Truck Accident Attorney

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

On Sunday morning, a 1-ton flatbed truck caused a tragic truck accident. Early investigations have revealed that the flatbed truck lost control while traveling up an icy hill on State Highway 164 in the Town of Richfield. After losing control, the flatbed truck crossed the center line and collided with an SUV operated by 42 year-old Karl Ziebart, who was on his way to church with his wife, their children and two other children.

The collision fatally injured Karl Ziebart, his 9 year-old son, Luke, and a 12 year-old friend of the family that was accompanying the family to church. The other passengers in the SUV, Ziebart's 40 year-old wife, Denise; their other two children; and the brother of the 12 year-old family friend, all suffered serious personal injuries and were transported to area hospitals.

The flatbed truck was owned by Terra Tec Landscapes Inc., a Washington County landscaping company. The driver of the truck and his passengers are all being held in the Washington County Jail under suspicion of being in the country illegally. According to state records, it appears that the driver of the truck did hold a valid Wisconsin driver's license. However, it has yet to be determined what, if any, training the truck driver received from Terra Tec regarding the operation of the 1-ton flatbed truck on icy roads. Authorities have also not yet disclosed the truck driver's prior driving record.

Our thoughts are with the crash victims and their families.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Learn more about Wisconsin Truck Accident Law

Contact a Wisconsin Truck Accident Attorney

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating a truck vs. truck crash that resulted in fatal injuries to 75 year-old Frank C. McIntyre of Beloit. The truck accident occured at approximately 4:00 p.m. on February 24, 2009, on State Highway 11, near South Potter Road in Spring Valley Township.

Preliminary investigations showed that a heavy duty Chevrolet bucket truck, being driven by 29 year-old Austin R. Hauser, of Orfordville, was pulling a trailer loaded with a Bobcat, when the trailer began to sway. Eventually, the trailer broke free from Hauser's truck, crossing the center line of West State Highway 11 and into the path of McIntyre's vehicle.

Based upon early reports, it appears that Hauser failed to maintain control of the trailer he was hauling. It is still unknown whether speed and/or faulty equipment played a role in the crash.

Orfordville Fire and Rescue were able to remove McIntyre from his truck that had come to rest on the south ditchline of West State Highway 11. McIntyre was immediately transported to Mercy Hospital in Janesville, where he was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m.

Our thoughts are with McIntyre's family for this tragic crash.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Learn more about Wisconsin Truck Accident Law

Contact a Wisconsin Truck Accident Attorney

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

In response to the October 16, 2005, truck vs. bus collision, in which a commercial motor coach collided with a Whole Foods semi-truck which had lost control and overturned on I-94, the National Traffic Safety Bureau (NTSB) issued new formal safety recommendations addressing the following:

• Driver Fatigue
• Fatigue Technologies
• Fatigue Education
• Hours-of-Service Compliance

Read the full NTSB Wisconsin Truck Accident Fatigue Recommendations.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Learn more about Wisconsin Truck Accident Law

Contact a Wisconsin Truck Accident Attorney

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

34 year-old Dorian Somogyi, of Ravenna, Ohio, sustained crtical injuries on February 2, 2009, when the Ford Fusion she was driving collided with a semi-truck. The accident occurred at the intersection of N. Freedom and State Route 88, in Ravenna, Ohio.

While the accident remains under investigation, a witness at the scene indicated that it appeared as though the semi-truck had slid through the intersection in an attempt to stop for a red light. The tractor-trailer left a substantial amount of skid marks at the scene.

The semi-truck was owned by Spoerl Trucking of Ixonia, Wisconsin, and was being operated by Troy Gates, 55, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The accident remains under investigation by authorities.

Our deepest condolences go out to the vicitms family.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

As a Wisconsin truck accident injury lawyer, one of the most common injuries I see is traumatic brain injury. This recent study confirms what many of the leading expert in the field of traumatic brain injury had long expected, that brain trauma does cause structural abnormalities within the the brain that cannot be detected with current imaging technology.

Researchers and doctors at Boston University’s School of Medicine have confirmed objective evidence of traumatic brain injury in former football players that had repeated concussions. The condition, referred to as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, occurs after repeated episodes of brain trauma and can result in early-onset dementia.

Doctors can only perform their testing technique and examination after the death of the patient, looking at brain tissue under a microscope. So far, the doctors are six for six in finding abnormalities in the brains of ex-NFL players that have consented to having their brains examined after their deaths. Researchers reported that the brains of these football players in their 30 and 40’s resembled the brains of 80 year-old people with dementia. Prior to their death, all of the football players studied had suffered bouts of short-term memory difficulties, depression, headaches, and several other problems typically associated with mild traumatic brain injury.

Perhaps the most alarming information released, was that of an 18 year-old athlete that played several different sports and had several confirmed concussions. An examination of his brain also showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

As an advocate for victims of traumatic brain injury, it oftentimes becomes frustrating because current radiological technology usually cannot detect brain damage in the majority of traumatic brain injuries. This study is more evidence that the lack of objective evidence on current radiological studies does not mean the individuals were injured.

I currently serve as “Of Counsel” to the Brain Injury Law Group, a national law firm representing victims of traumatic brain injury. Visit my website for more information on Traumatic Brain Injury.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Recently, I was driving from Milwaukee to Iowa for a deposition. As I was approaching the half-way point on my drive, I saw a large chunk of ice flying towards me. The chunk of ice had become dislodged from the top of a semi-truck trailer and was hurling through the air directly towards my face. As only 1-2 seconds elapsed from the time the ice flew from the top of the trailer to the time it struck my windshield, I had no time to react or take any evasive actions.

The ice crashed into my windshield make a loud bang. Fortunately, the ice did not break through my windshield. As I slowed my vehicle, the semi-truck driver continued along at the same rate of speed, obviously unaware of the incident. As the tractor-trailer continued down I-88 westbound, I counted at least 5 more large pieces of ice that flew from the top of his trailer, until finally it appeared as though the trailer was clear of ice. I was unable to obtain any information that could have identified the semi-truck.

Incidents like the above are very common during the winter months. While I am fortunate, many others are injured or killed in very similar incidents involving ice flying from semi-trucks. Ice chunks flying from semi-trucks also accounts for thousands of dollars in property damage each year from damage to windshields and body damage to the vehicles struck by these ice chunks.

Truckers and trucking companies have an obligation to remove ice and snow from their trailers prior to operating their trucks so as to not create such hazards. It is time truck drivers and trucking companies acknowledge this very serious danger. Few trucking companies actually have written policies and procedures in place to ensure drivers manually remove the snow and ice from their trailer before driving.

One of the biggest problems I usually face in handling these types of cases on behalf of those injured by flying ice from semi-trucks is identifying the actual semi-truck that caused the injury. Many times the tractor-trailer drivers usually continue down the road and are never identified.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

As the temperatures dropped in the early morning hours of January 13, 2009, two separate semi-truck accidents caused major delays on US-41/US-45.

On US-45 Southbound, around 5:30 a.m., a semi-truck lost control and jackknifed, causing an 11 car pileup. While most the cars were able to stop in time to avoid the semi-truck, some were not so fortunate and crashed into the semi-truck. Ambulances were on the scene.

In a separate crash that occurred around 3:00 a.m., on US-45 Northbound, another tractor-trailer lost control and jackknifed near the Good Hope Road exit, near Park Place. The Northbound lanes were closed for over two hours.

While icy road conditions contributed to the semi-truck accidents, clearly the truck drivers were traveling too fast for the dangerous conditions. Again, these truck drivers failed to use "extreme caution" when operating their rigs, in violation of federal law.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks