According to a press release from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), a Tennessee-based truck driver, Ricky L. Hatfield, and his Tazewell-based company, Hatfield Trucking, have been ordered to stop activities.
The USDOT release said that the company and driver have been deemed “imminent hazards to public safety and has ordered both the driver and the company to immediately cease operations.”
According to the release, on November 19, 2013, Hatfield was operating a tractor-trailer on Interstate 81 in Franklin County, Pennsylvania when he crossed onto the highway shoulder, collided with a car and struck two pedestrians. The two pedestrians suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted to a local hospital.
Following the crash, Hatfield’s tractor-trailer overturned across the Interstate 81 northbound lanes. Hatfield allegedly tried to flee the scene of the crash, but was later apprehended. He was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, aggravated assault by a vehicle and failure to stop at an accident involving death or personal injury, as well as other charges.
This is not Hatfield’s first brush with the law, according to the USDOT release. In 2009, Hatfield was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in Utah.
“Interstate truck and bus companies and their drivers should have no doubt that we will vigorously enforce all federal safety regulations to the fullest extent possible by law,” FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro said in the release. “Carriers and drivers who flout the safety rules put the public at risk and will be shut down.”
WHERE CAN I FIND A NASHVILLE TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYER?
This story is truly terrifying. An estimated 500,000 truck accidents occur every year in the United States.
If you have been affected by a truck collision, our Nashville injury lawyer is here to help you. Aside from death, truck accidents can cause catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones and amputations.
Call (615) 866-3938 to schedule a free case review, or visit our site for more information on Nashville vehicle accidents.
“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14