Mr Walsh was senteced in a remote hearing of the County Court in Melbourne today. In his sentencing, Judge Parrish noted the basis of Mr Walsh's guilty plea was that he drove the truck when fatigued and knew there was a risk of him falling asleep or losing control behind the wheel. "When confronted by the danger posed by the truck, Mr Pich braked heavily and steered left but was unable to stop in time," Judge Parrish said. The trailers broke away from the cabin and came to rest across all four lanes of traffic. Find more local newsīrowse for your location and find more local ABC News and information When Mr Walsh steered sharply to return to the road, the truck and trailers jackknifed. The incidentĪ police investigation concluded Mr Walsh's Melbourne-bound truck left the road to the left-hand eastern side of the highway and went onto the adjoining grass reserve. Mr Walsh cried as his sentence was readout. Judge Parrish said Mr Walsh's "moral culpability" for the incident was high, referencing expert evidence that he "deliberately evaded" laws relating to commercial truck driving and had a "high level" of methylamphetamine in his system at the time. If you were hurt in a truck accident you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.Ĭontact our experienced trucking accident legal team at Baumgartner Law Firm for a free case consultation.A bus driver was killed and at least nine passengers were injured when the bus crashed into a detached truck trailer on the Western Highway near Pimpinio in July 2019. Truck accidents can be serious and they often cause severe injuries to vehicle occupants. This will take place as part of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, which is not scheduled to begin until 2020. The bridge is slated for renovation and the height will be increased. They ask truck drivers to pay attention, stay on their assigned routes and maintain proper permits. A representative from TXDOT stated that the signs are helping but truck drivers still need to be more careful. Just since the beginning of the year, the eastbound sign was triggered 10,245 times and the westbound sign was triggered 5,199 times.Īlthough these safety measures are in place, accidents continue to happen. TXDOT reports that the signs are working properly. The board lights up and also provides instructions for drivers to take an alternate route. The system warns truck drivers when their truck is too high to fit under the bridge. TXDOT installed lighted warning boards and signs on both the eastbound and westbound sides of the bridge. Other times, the company is unknown because some accidents are not reported. In some cases, the state is able to recoup damages from the trucking company. According to a recent investigative report by Channel 2 News, TXDOT has spent about a quarter of a million dollars in bridge repairs due to truck strikes. After a truck hits a bridge it needs to be inspected before the area can be reopened to traffic. In addition to causing damages and injuries to others, trucks that hit bridges may cause structural damage to the bridge. Sometimes the truck remains stuck until a towing crew can remove it from under the bridge. This results in the truck hitting the bridge with great force. Truckers are not paying attention to the height of the bridge and may also be traveling too fast. However, many of the trucks that travel our roads are from other states, and so they may be taller.Īccording to Texas Department of Transportation, TXDOT, this particular bridge has been hit 23 times in the last four years by trucks that were too high to make it through. Additionally, Texas law requires trucks to be no taller than 14 feet in height. The bridge is admittedly one of the shortest, and newer bridges are required to provide clearance of 16.5 feet. The truck in this instance was heading east when it hit the 14.3-foot bridge. Some of the accidents involve other vehicles and cause injuries to other drivers and passengers. Still, the truck accident brings to light a serious problem that occurs with some frequency on our roadways. Luckily, no other vehicles were involved and there were no reported injuries. A semi-truck crashed into the Houston Avenue Bridge causing a traffic tie-up and major damages to the truck, which lost its load.
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