Driver In Court For Semi-Truck Accident

A semi-truck driver who caused  a six-car accident in the greater Philadelphia area in currently undergoing trial for falsifying driving logs.  Valerijs N. Belovs was driving a large commerial truck in early 2009 when he caused a large accident claiming the life of a Fort Washington businessman.  Belovs had falsified his driving record fifteen separate times around the time of the accident in order to get less sleep and drive more hours, breaking federal rules and regulations.  According to the United States Department of Transportation,  truck drivers should not exceed the eleven hour maximum allowable daily driving hours without having rested or being off-duty for ten consecutive hours.  On the day of the accident, Belovs was driving in the Philadelphia area and came around a bend where cars were slowed down.  Due to faulty brakes, Belovs was unable to slow down his truck and, consequently, caused a six car pile-up.  Belovs had reported brake problems to his superiors multiple times, but was told to use the emergency brake on his trip until he had finished his delivery across the country to California.  His superior also supplied him with stickers stating that the truck had been inspected and passed all inspections, when in reality it had not been inspected at all.  Both Belov's superior and the person who had supplied the false inspection stickers were also jailed. 

Commercial truck drivers are a significant cause of motor vehicle accidents . Often, these commercial drivers are fatigued and are driving above the mandated allotment of hours. Additionally, many of them are driving large vehicles that are not up to federal and state safety standards. As a result, passengers and other vehicles often bear the brunt of their illegal activity and are often seriously injured or die from a resulting collision. If you have been injured or a loved one has died as a result of a commercial vehicle accident, please contact our law office for a consultation at no cost to you at the Law Offices of Attorney Doug Stoehr.