A multi-vehicle crash near the Murfreesboro Airport in Rutherford County claimed the life of one person and injured two others on March 2. Tennessee authorities said the accident took place shortly after noon.
According to police, the chain-reaction crash began when a dump truck smashed into the back of a pickup truck that was stopped at the intersection of Memorial Boulevard and Airport Road. The pickup then struck the car in front of it, causing that car to collide with a vehicle in another lane. The male pickup truck driver was airlifted to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. Two other drivers suffered minor injuries in the crash. The dump truck driver, who works for Melton Construction Company, was not hurt.
Witnesses said the collision sounded like a bomb going off. Memorial Boulevard was shut down for several hours from Heritage Park to Irongate as police investigated and cleared the scene. It was reopened at approximately 4 p.m. The accident remains under investigation.
When a commercial truck driver crashes into the rear of a vehicle that is already stopped, it is often due to driver distraction or driver fatigue. When someone is killed in a similar truck accident, family members may have the right to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent driver and in some cases the company that employs that driver. With the aid of an attorney, a victim’s family could use accident investigation reports, witness testimony and other crash scene evidence to attempt to prove that the driver was responsible for the death of their loved one. A wrongful death claim could provide the victim’s family with much-needed financial compensation to cover the unexpected costs of medical care, funeral and burial costs, lost income and other damages.
Source: WSMV, “1 person killed in multi-vehicle crash in Murfreesboro”, Kara Apel, March 3, 2015