The family of a coal truck driver in Tennessee has filed a wrongful death lawsuit after the victim was killed while driving a company vehicle.

The lawsuit was filed by the widow of Darrell T. Seiber, on behalf of herself and their two minor children. She is seeking $7 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.

Seiber was killed when the coal truck he was driving went off the road, into a ditch, hit a tree, and overturned. Named as the defendant in the lawsuit is National Coal Corp., a company based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Seiber was driving a truck for Joe Cox Trucking, an independent hauling company that provided trucks for National Coal.

The lawsuit states that an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine and Safety Health Administration found that National Coal violated several regulations, including failure to ensure that independent contract drivers, like Seiber, receive initial mine training, and that an engine brake accelerator switch on the truck was not working at the time of the accident. The investigation also discovered that the truck was overloaded. At the time of the accident, the truck was carrying as much as 169% of its maximum gross vehicle weight rating, which the administration said was a contributing factor to the accident.

Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Today

If you or your loved one has been injured or killed in a truck accident, it’s important to consult an attorney right away. People often assume accidents have to be caused by another driver in order to recover compensation. This is not true. Overloading a truck, failure to ensure the vehicle’s parts are in good working order, and failing to ensure drivers are property trained are all examples of negligence. If any of these factors contributed to your accident, a Los Angeles truck accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Gerald L. Marcus will advocate your rights to recovery and help you file a personal injury lawsuit for the largest possible settlement.

Contact the office today at (888) 203-PAIN to learn more about the services offered at our firm!