Shortly before Memorial Day 2012, Vice President Joe Biden opened up in front of military family members who have lost loved ones, revealing his heartbreak after receiving a phone call informing him that his wife and daughter were dead and two sons seriously injured after being sideswiped by a tractor-trailer.
Watch Biden share his story:
The vice president’s tale indicates how much damage big rigs can inflict when driven unsafely. Biden’s family wasn’t savaged by a head-on collision; all it took was contact that would have left a scratch or dent if made by a smaller vehicle.
Too many families get turned upside down and inside out by tractor-trailer accidents. For example, we handled a case where a car was rear ended by a large commercial truck on I-64 in Norfolk, Virginia (VA). A passenger in the car was burned alive.
It turned out the truck operator violated several safety rules, and the trucker also had poorly controlled diabetes that could make him unable to full concentrate while driving. We recognized the severity of the wreck and the impact it had on the victim’s family and were able to secure a $3.5 million settlement for the victim’s 5-year-old daughter.
PA