Alleged distracted trucker kills Baton Rouge man

According to the Louisiana State Police, a Baton Rouge man traveling on Interstate 12 lost his life after a semi-truck hit his vehicle. Apparently, the truck driver’s cellular phone played a role in this crash, which happened in the overnight hours. Police say the trucker’s phone dropped on to the floor, and the trucker attempted to grab for the phone while still maintaining control of his big rig.

Unfortunately, the truck driver swerved from the left lane, in which he was traveling, into the right lane. The man who died was driving his car alongside the truck in the right lane. The truck struck the vehicle in the side, throwing the man from the vehicle. The man died at the scene, while the trucker was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries police described as minor.

Police said that they had no immediate reason to suspect that drugs or alcohol had a part in this deadly truck accident. Still, they collected blood samples shortly after the wreck and will have them analyzed for the presence of alcohol and drugs.

This tragedy goes to show yet again how dangerous any distracted driving, but especially distracted truck driving, can be. In this case, all it took to cause a fatal accident was a trucker’s decision to take his eyes and mind off the road for a few seconds, just enough time to reach for a phone.

As this story illustrates, distracted driving does not just include texting and driving or talking on a cell phone. It can also include reaching around for a phone or just about any other object.

Now, the family of the man who died will have to go through the process of putting their own lives back together. Likewise, they will probably have bills associated with this man’s death, and they may have lost family income upon which they were counting. They can explore holding the truck driver and his employer accountable for these losses.