Semi carrying 86 pigs rolls over in North Carolina

Near the end of March, a semi-trailer loaded with a herd of 86 fattened pigs overturned on an interstate off-ramp in the Winston-Salem area, about 120 miles from Fayetteville. Thankfully, no people were hurt in the crash, and emergency crews worked to get the pigs to safety. In a similar accident nearby in February, a livestock trailer with 41 cows flipped on the highway, and about half of the herd died.

In both incidents, one silver lining was that, according to the news stories, each of the accidents were single-vehicle crashes and didn’t endanger other drivers besides the people behind the wheels of the semis.

North Carolina is no stranger to trucking accidents, many of them destructive. According to the 2018 data, which is the most recent available, there were 5,115 crashes involving tractor trailers — let alone the other types of trucks — resulting in 67 deaths and 1,250 injuries in our state.

Every day, countless tons of cargo is shipped on semis throughout the United States, traveling many thousands of miles. Many of them pass through North Carolina. With such high numbers, trucking accidents are bound to happen and can have serious and deadly consequences for everyone involved in the crash. When a semi flips over, drivers behind them may only have a second or two to slow down and try to avoid the crash. Not everyone is lucky enough to do so.

If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a collision involving a semitruck, it’s vital to understand your legal rights. When the worst has happened to you and your family, the last thing you may want to think about is money. But with hospital bills, missed workdays, funeral expenses and other potential costs, the expenditures can quickly add up. You deserve financial compensation to help offset your troubles. An experienced Fayetteville attorney can take on the insurance companies and fight to see you get fair treatment under North Carolina law.