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

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.

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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.

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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.

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On the morning of January 6, 2009, a semi-truck driver from Minnesota apparently fell asleep and lost control of his tractor-trailer, seriously injuring a man from Portage, Wisconsin. The semi-truck accident occurred on Interstate 39/Interstate 90/Interstate 94 in Columbia County, near the Lodi exit.

The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating the semi-truck crash. Preliminary investigations have indicated that the semi-truck driver, John Sellers, of Big Fork, Minnesota may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The semi-truck was traveling northbound on  I-39/I-90/I-94, when it crossed into the grassy median and continued into the southbound lanes of travel. The tractor-trailer eventually struck a pickup truck being driven by the Portage man.

Officials have indicated that the semi-truck accident victim was 54 year-old Terry L. Anderson. Mr. Anderson had to be flown to University Hospital in Madison, via MedFlight.

No additional details on the semi-truck driver’s condition or driving history have been released. If the truck driver did indeed fall asleep at the wheel, then investigators will likely closely inspect the driving logs and hours of service records of the driver of the tractor-trailer. For more information see our page on Truck Driver Fatigue.

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