Asheville, North Carolina Tractor-Trailer Accident Involving Nine Vehicles on I-26 Claims Fifth Fatality
Police are reporting that a fifth victim has died from injuries that were sustained in an North Carolina tractor-trailer crash in Asheville that occurred Sunday night. The woman, 26-year-old Amber Reid from Hendersonville, died on Tuesday.
Reid was riding in a car driven by her husband Chris Reid, who was also injured, when their vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer during a chain reaction crash involving seven cars and a second tractor-trailer that were stopped in the eastbound lanes because of another accident.
Also killed from injuries they sustained during the North Carolina multi-vehicle crash are Hendersonville resident Charles Novac, Asheville resident Theresa Saver, and Lexington, South Carolina residents Alvin and Gail Kimbell. Another person, Laci Fredericks, sustained injuries.
Police arrested Roumen Todorov Velkov, the truck driver accused of starting the multi-vehicle crash. They have charged him with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of assault inflicting serious bodily harm. With Amber Reid’s death, the charges will likely be amended.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol is trying to determine whether driver inattention or fatigue was a factor. Investigation findings reveal that the tractor-trailer Velkov was driving was moving at a speed of about 70 mph when he struck the other vehicles. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records show that since June 2008, Globe Carrier Co., the trucking company that Velkov works for, has violated logbook requirements seven times.
Driver inattention, driver fatigue, and distracted driving are three of the most common causes of truck crashes. According to the Institute for Highway Safety, a truck driver that has been driving a truck for more than 8 hours in a row increases his/her truck crash risk by twofold.
Driver Inattention May Have Caused I-26 Pileup, WYFF4.com, October 26, 2010
Recent history of company involved in Asheville area I-26 crash shows numerous violations, Citizen-Times, October 27, 2010
Related Web Resource:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
