Update [October 7, 2014]: The name of the driver who died in this accident was identified later as Travis Anderson, 40 years old, who was from Black River Falls.
Sparta, WI — Just north of Sparta, there was a fatal head-on wreck between a car and a semi-truck this past Sunday afternoon. It looks like the driver of the car was killed in the accident and the semi-truck driver, 60-year old Gary Meyers, was seriously injured.
The accident happened on Sunday afternoon (October 5, 2014) along Highway 27. Police said that Meyers was driving his semi-truck along Highway 27 that afternoon, near Eagle Avenue, when an oncoming Pontiac Grand Am lost control.
The smaller car swerved into Meyers’ lane, where it crashed head-on into his semi-truck. The driver of the Pontiac was killed immediately and Meyers was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.
Right now, the deceased driver’s name isn’t being released. Police said they are still investigating what might have caused that car to lose control on the highway.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
I think a lot of people view truck drivers as an entire different class of drivers – and, in a sense, they are. But the truth of the matter is that truck drivers have all the same rights on the road as the rest of us, plus all the same legal rights. While accidents like this are a little less common, truck drivers do get hurt by drivers of smaller cars. In those situations, the car driver’s personal insurance policy would be used to cover any injuries sustained in the accident. However, there are some insurance policies (known as Under-Insured and Uninsured Motorist policies) that essentially make up the difference when you’re in an accident with someone who either has no insurance or insufficient insurance to cover the damage.
The catch is that when you work for a company and you’re on the road, it’s their UIM or UM policy that you’re using. Obviously, they’re not going to be exactly keen on helping raise their premiums by cashing in on their policies, so it’s pretty common for them to just keep their employees in the dark and never tell them about the UIM or UM policies. Further, a lot of employers will have employment contracts or policies that expressly forbid the employees from taking advantage of this kind of coverage. Obviously, there are some legal questions that need to be answered at that point.
— Grossman Law Offices