Public officials told NBC News that the 18-wheeler sideswiped one school bus and hit another head-on, though an official report has not been released.

The buses were transporting high school seniors from Choctaw County, Mississippi on a class trip to Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.  Two teachers and the driver of the 18 wheeler are believed to have been killed in the wreck.

The crash left one 18-wheeler demolished, the second 18-wheeler was pushed into four-wheel vehicles and the third 18-wheeler exited the highway and ended up in the woods. One 18-wheeler driver had to be cut from the cab of the wrecked big rig.

Eastbound lanes of I-20 were closed while crews cleaned up the debris and leaked diesel fuel. The wreck caused a huge traffic back-up on both the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-20 near Shreveport.

The 18-wheeler, marked with the company name Texas International Express LLC, was traveling north about 5 miles north of Pearl River when its front left tire blew out, said Trooper Nick Manale, spokesman for State Police Troop L. The driver, Juan Torres, 37, of Montgomery, Texas, lost control of the rig, and the tractor-trailer rumbled across the median and struck the southbound pickup nearly head-on, police said. After impact, the pickup and 18-wheeler slid off the highway, coming to a halt in the treeline on the west side of the interstate, Manale said.

Troopers specializing in vehicle inspection were brought in to determine whether the 18-wheeler had all of the required equipment and whether that equipment was properly installed, police said. Federal Motor Carrier SafetyRegulations require an 18-wheeler driver to perform a pre-trip inspection and a end of the day report. A driver cannot operate a commercial motor vehicle until he has inspected his equipment including the tires for good working order.

§392.7 Equipment, inspection and use.

No commercial motor vehicle shall be driven unless the driver is satisfied that the following parts and accessories are in good working order, nor shall any driver fail to use or make use of such parts and accessories when and as needed:

Service brakes, including trailer brake connections.
Parking (hand) brake.
Steering mechanism.
Lighting devices and reflectors.
Tires.
Horn.
Windshield wiper or wipers.
Rear-vision mirror or mirrors.
Coupling devices.

[33 FR 19732, Dec. 25, 1968, as amended at 60 FR 38746, July 28, 1995]

After the debilitating accident, the Colorado woman was left unable to return to work and now supports her four children on Social Security disability payments.

This is just one example of the arrogance of insurers nationwide who want to cherry pick who they cover and arbitrarily look for excuses to cancel coverage in the middle of serious illnesses or injuries- just at the time you need your coverage the most! Kudos to the Colorado jurors for making the insurers pay a heavy price for their ill-advised actions. If more jurors will make similar gutsy rulings, insurance companies will be forced to deal with all of us in the fair manner we all deserve and expect.

The sixth annual national test gauges driver knowledge by administering 20 questions taken from state Department of Motor Vehicles exams. Kansas drivers ranked first in the nation (82.3 percent average score); New York drivers ranked last (70 percent average score).

Overall, the test scores indicate a large number of licensed American drivers continue to lack knowledge of basic rules of the road. Eighty-five percent could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light, and many remained confused by the appropriate safe following distances. Is it any wonder that car accidents, especially those involving serious injuries and fatalities continue to be a serious problem? With this number of ill-prepared drivers we certainly cannot expect insurance rates to decline anytime in the near future.

We need to wake up to these realities and formulate better training for young drivers, stricter testing for new drivers and elderly drivers with health issues, as well as re-training for drivers who have a record of causing multiple auto accidents which involve injuries to others.

The semi was driven by Joe Anderson, 26, of Ennis, Texas. Anderson was charged with careless operation of a vehicle. The semi was hauling 42,000 pounds of adhesive. The flipping of an 18 wheeler is usually the result of the negligence in the handling of the truck and the trailer by the driver, operating at an excessive, dangerous, and unreasonable speed under the circumstances and in failing to reduce his speed in obedience to the warning signs posted. Also fatigue of the truck driver from exceeding legal hours of service can result in this type of collision.

Preliminary investigation suggest that an 18-wheeler with a flat bed trailer was pulled over onto the shoulder of the road out of the lanes of traffic when an SUV that was proceeding east bound on the outside lane drifted off onto the shoulder and rear ended the 18-wheeler. The two occupants inside the SUV sustained life threatening injuries. The female passenger was airlifted to LSUMC where she was later pronounced dead. Her name has not yet been released pending notification of her family. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not injured.

The investigation should include why the 18 wheeler was on the shoulder of the interstate. Was it creating a danger for motorist? Did the 18 wheeler driver properly display warning devices for a his tractor/trailer on the shoulder? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Part 392.22: “Emergency signals; stopped commercial motor vehicles”  require the 18-wheeler driver to take immediate steps to protect the motoring public. .

Federal safety officials have said that in the Nissan situation, the wiring that holds the airbags in place may wear down enough to interrupt the signal to deploy the airbags. It appears from this preemptive action, Nissan has learned from the mistakes Toyota made and is erring on the side of caution and consumer safety.

DPS reports that the driver of an 18-wheeler approached the construction zone and failed to slow down and ended up barreling through six vehicles before running off the road. Was the 18-Wheeler exceeding hours of service? Fatigued? Texting or email?

A total of 10 people were reportedly involved in the accident and 3 of the 10 were taken to an area hospital with what’s being described as serious injuries. Texas DPS reports that the three transported were in the first vehicle hit by the 18-wheeler.

Reasons for Louisiana’s increase may include the brief absence of a motorcycle safety program offered by the state. An estimated 2000 people took the course when offered by the Department of Education. Other reasons include a longer riding season than states with harsher seasonal weather and a higher number of alcohol-related motorcycle deaths.

Motorist also have to keep a vigilant outlook for the much smaller motorcycle. Increased awareness of approaching motorcycles and the elimination of distractions such as text messaging and cell phone will help the driver of a car visualize the motorcycle before it is too late to avoid a crash.

I saw inspiration and purpose in my friends making the difficult decision to donate their son’s organs after several agonizing and unimaginable days in the hospital. That unselfish act on their part both inspired me and planted a seed of purpose in me to do something about organ donation. That seed blossomed when I saw the hope in our friends’ eyes as they told of the recipients of their son’s organs and how their painful experience helped other people, including kids, have a second chance at life.

Subsequently a fellow church member decided to organize a 5K run in Alexandria and donate any funds raised to LOPA, Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency. LOPA is a federally-designated agency that focuses on educating the general public about organ donation and works with the families involved in the donation process placing the organs for transplant. My entire family has participated in the run and we intend to continue spreading the word about organ donation whenever the opportunity arises.

Currently over 100,000 people are on the waiting list for organ transplants in the U.S. Statistics show that every year transplants recipients are living longer than before. Consider donating your organs or tissue. If you are unsure, I simply ask that you talk to a current donor or recipient of an organ transplant and see if their story touches you and convinces you to donate like it did to me. Make the decision to be a donor and have your gracious decision noted the next time you renew your driver’s license. You truly would be giving the gift of life.

Clearly the economy played a large role in the decline of motorcycle deaths in 2009. A study by the National Governors Conference cautions against putting too much stock in the national decrease as there is much more work that needs to be done to improve motorcycle safety.

The State of Louisiana suspended its motorcycle-safety program, the Motorcycle Safety Awareness and Operator Training Course, for the last six months of 2009 for budgetary reasons. An estimated 2,000 people per year took the course offered by the Department of Education. Louisiana law does not require any special motorcycle endorsement for a driver’s license. Louisiana traditionally ranks higher in the number of alcohol-related motorcycle crash deaths compared to the rest of the country. With only a helmet and leather to protect them from injury, motorcyclists are generally considered more vulnerable in crash studies.

The good news is that the relatively quick response reflects Toyota’s promise to respond faster to safety concerns after being accused by federal investigators of dragging its feet on recalls to address faulty gas pedals. Toyota was fined a record $16.4 million by the U.S. Transportation Department as a result. The bad news is that yet another Toyota model is now suspected of having serious safety issues and adds to the blow its reputation has already taken. Lexus will provide a loaner car for any customer who purchased a 2010 GX460 and is concerned about the safety of driving the vehicle. Customers can call 800-255-3987 for more information.

Toyota has a long way to go to regain consumer confidence after the recent recall of millions of its vehicles after reports of numerous accidents, injuries and deaths involving faulty accelerators. Toyota’s CEO admitted the company had lost focus on safety during its unprecedented growth. Profit should never come at the expense of innocent victims relying on the safety of the products they purchase.

This is a welcomed change to the way we have previously requested State Police accident reports where we would have to mail a check along with a request to the State Police headquarters in Baton Rouge or to one of the local troop locations in the parish where the accident occurred. Often times there is confusion among what agency wrote the report and you would have to send requests and checks to the various agencies such as City Police, Sheriff, ect. Now, with the new system in place one can preview the report to ensure it is the correct report.

This is another example of computers working to make us more efficient and our State government willing and able to take the necessary steps to make it happen.

Emergency rescuers could not get close because the flames were too hot. The police officer and his cousin who was also killed were in the SUV. Investigators also mistook the SUV for a small car. Also killed were the drivers of the 18-wheelers. The driver of the broken down 18-wheeler on the shoulder was asleep in the cab and not injured. He was cited for failure to properly display warning devices for a disabled vehicle on the shoulder. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require the 18-wheeler driver to take immediate steps to protect the motoring public. Part 392.22: Emergency signals; stopped commercial motor vehicles.