Roanoke County Truck Accident Blamed on Shifting Load | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

According to Virginia State Police, one person suffered serious injuries in a one-vehicle commercial truck accident in Roanoke County on Thursday, November 8. Local authorities believe that the Virginia truck accident was caused by an improperly secured load that shifted when the big rig attempted to negotiate a turn on an exit ramp.

The Virginia 18-wheeler accident took place on I-581 on the southbound ramp of the Peters Creek Road exit at 3:40 in the afternoon when 48-year-old truck driver Willie Meadows was exiting the interstate. As the truck rounded the curve of the ramp, the truck’s load of PVC pipe shifted, causing the tractor-trailer to flip onto its side and strike a guardrail.

The truck driver received serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the big-rig accident. He was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

The state police trooper who investigated the accident charged the truck driver with failure to properly secure his load and with defective equipment.

Unfortunately, a number of truck accidents and rollover accidents are caused by big-rigs who do not have properly secured loads. When cargo shifts while trucks go around curves or make turns, the balance of the truck can be thrown off, resulting in the vehicle flipping onto its side. Improperly secured loads can be caused either by poor loading procedures at the truck loading dock or by equipment, such as rope and rigging, that comes loose during transport.

Trucking companies, truck loading companies, or truck drivers may be responsible for traffic accidents caused by improperly secured loads.