Ontario Provincial Police are asking any motorists who witnessed the two tractor-trailers being driven in the moments before they collided head-on in northeastern Ontario on January 11 to come forward.
The accident happened on Hwy. 11 near Matheson in the morning. According to law enforcement sources, a Winnepeg truck driver, 29, was headed south and somehow collided head-on with a 61-year-old big rig driver from Latchford, who was traveling northbound.
The older driver died at the scene of the accident. The southbound semi driver was treated for injuries not considered to be life-threatening and later released. OPP officers charged him with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, causing death.
It is hard to fathom the damage that can happen when two big rig behemoths collide at highway speeds. Ontario winters can be brutal, but there was no mention of slick surfaces in the news reports.
Long haul truckers are often under intense pressure from their employers to meet impossible deadlines, which pushes them to flout the rules and drive longer hours even when fatigued. Some also struggle with addiction to drugs or alcohol, raising the risk of impaired drivers being behind the wheel of their tractor-trailers.
If you suffered an injury in a head-on collision with a commercial driver, you could potentially have a claim for damages against not just the driver but the company that employs them. In an accident, it is not always evident at first where the liability lies. In some cases, there can be multiple defendants, including provincial ministries in some instances. A personal injury lawyer may be able to delve deeper into an accident’s causes and uncover additional defendants.
Source: CBCNews, "Winnipeg man charged in fatal crash in northeastern Ontario," Jan. 13, 2016
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