Keizer, Oregon — There was an accident near Keizer on I-5 last Wednesday, May 27, that left a truck driver injured. Police said that Bovil Smith, 66, was injured after his semi-truck was rear-ended by another semi on I-5 near mile marker 64.The Oregon State Police released a report on this, saying that Bovil Smith had been driving his semi-truck north along I-5, hauling broken and crushed cars. As he was driving north, another northbound semi-truck driven by William Ferrel failed to control its speed and crashed into the back of Smith’s trailer.
Both vehicles were damaged in the accident, but Smith’s semi-truck flipped over as a result. He had to be taken to a hospital with minor injuries while William Ferrel wasn’t harmed. However, the OSP did cite Ferrel for following too closely, a local news channel reported.
Map of the Accident (Approximate Area)
Commentary:
Truck drivers, though they have special licenses and have to follow special rules, are still drivers on the same roads that you and I get on every day. That means that they have the same rights as you and I do when it comes to accidents. Just because they’re “on the job” doesn’t mean that truck drivers aren’t allowed to recover from injuries in an accident the same way any other driver would be able to do so.
Specifically, I’m talking about filing a claim or a lawsuit against the driver that caused the accident. Now, I don’t really know much about what happened in this particular accident, so don’t think that I’m advocating that people start filing suit. But, since this accident involved two commercial drivers, I thought I’d share some helpful information for these types of situations.
Like I said earlier, commercial drivers have the same rights as you and me. They also have access (usually) to their employer’s workers’ comp benefits, which are something completely separate from an accident claim. A lot of truck drivers go their whole career without ever being told this information, which can make situations like this even more difficult than they already are.
— Grossman Law Offices