Man Airlifted Following Wreck on Highway 365 Monday

This blog regularly reports on the unfortunate number of accidents and injuries involving commercial vehicles on Georgia’s roadways. Already this week, there was another serious accident involving two commercial trucks and a sedan in northeast Georgia.
On Monday, February 29, 2016, a 78-year-old Toccoa man was airlifted following an accident on Highway 365 in Stephens County that shut the roadway down for more than eight hours, local news outlets including accesswdun.com reported.

Ray Starling, 78, of Toccoa, suffered serious injuries after an accident involving a 2007 Mack dump truck, a 2005 Kenworth tanker truck, and Starling’s Toyota Camry. Starling’s wife, Elizabeth Starling, 73, was also injured in the wreck and taken from the scene by ambulance.

According to news sources the dump truck, owned by Roger Trucking of Athens, and driven by Steve Griffeth, 52, was traveling north on Highway 365 toward Toccoa. The dump truck allegedly crossed the centerline and sideswiped the tanker truck, driven by Freddie Smith, of Froest Park, and owned by Synergy Recycling of Kingsland, Georgia. This allegedly caused the tanker truck to travel off the shoulder of the roadway and overturn, while the dump truck hit Starling’s Camry head-on. According to the report the dump truck may have lost its power steering prior to the crash.

Accidents involving large commercial vehicles all-too-often result in serious injuries or death. Despite being one of the most heavily regulated industries in America, accidents involving large trucks continue to occur. From a legal perspective, these cases are especially complex, and often involve accident reconstruction experts and expert witnesses familiar with the trucking industry. For more on cases involving large commercial vehicles, visit the trucking page on our website.
If you have been injured in an accident involving a large commercial vehicle, contact Jarrett & Price for a free consultation or call (912) 401-8880 – (912) 401-8880. We represent victims of accidents throughout the state of Georgia, with offices in Savannah and northeast Georgia.