Fayetteville Tractor Trailer Tanker Crash Hospitalizes One with Severe Burns | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

All northbound lanes and one southbound lane on I-95 northeast of Fayetteville, NC were closed early morning of October 20th due to an overnight wreck involving two trucks.  The wreck occurred 11:30 p.m. Monday when semi truck driver, Carlos Bolden, 46, stopped to help a pickup truck driver who ran out of gas, Charles Alphin, 35 was trying to help push the truck off of the interstate.  A tanker-truck hauling pig blood swerved to avoid the pickup but sideswiped the tractor-trailer instead.  The tanker hit the guardrail and caught fire.

Witnesses say debris hit several other vehicles.  The tanker truck driver, Frank Graves, 56, suffered burns on 40 % of his lower body and was taken to the North Carolina Jaycees Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill to be treated.  Troopers said Alphin, who was clearly the cause of the accident and who did not suffer any injury will be charged with impeding traffic.

A Toyota website states that car fire represents a real and often overlooked threat. People tend to underestimate the intensity of a car fire and place themselves in danger. A car fire may start in a situation that is already dangerous- either driving down a highway or stuck in traffic. Car fires pose a threat of spreading to surrounding structures- often the vehicle will be enclosed within a garage or other parking structure. There have even been major disasters involving car fires in tunnels.

In fact, one in every four fires is a car fire and one in every eight fire deaths are caused by car fires. Each year, car fires alone kill 550 people and injure 3,300 more. There are more than a quarter of a million car fires annually- and the number is rising. Here are some basic steps you and your passengers need to be aware of in the event of a car fire.

According to the National Safety Council, when your car catches fire you should stop immediately, warn oncoming traffic, get away from the vehicle, notify the fire department and do not attempt to try to put out the fire yourself.  In all vehicle fire situations, the first thing to think about is personal safety; any vehicle can be replaced—humans cannot. Think and act quickly, in the safest way possible.

About the Editors: Shapiro & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling wrongful death cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our law firm has offices in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys have handled numerous wrongful death cases and we understand the difficult circumstances which accompany these types of cases. That’s why you need an experienced attorney to help you through the legal process. Our lawyers hold licenses in NC, VA, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at (833) 997-1774. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube .  In addition, our lawyers proudly edit the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard, as well as the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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