Trucking Company Sues Motorist After Accident, Explosion

By Evan Mix

Published on June 25, 2007

The lawsuit claims Curtis Harris, Jr. and Alvin Maxey – the driver and the owner of the pickup in question – behaved negligently and are thus liable for the accident. Maxey was not present at the time of the accident.

After the crash, the semi truck burst into flame and burned for several hours, totaling both vehicles and causing $50,000 of damage to an I-55 bridge. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. agreed to pay the Mississippi Department of Transportation for the damage, but is now asking to be reimbursed for the truck, trailer, its cargo, loss of its use, and the damage to the Interstate.

According to the suit, Maxey, the owner of the pickup, should have known that his vehicle was unsafe for road travel and that Harris, the driver of the truck and his neighbor, was an unsafe driver.

The suit also states that Harris was driving at an unsafe speed, was not in control of his vehicle, and allowed the pickup to slow down dramatically on the freeway without signaling or pulling it out of traffic.

No court date has yet been set.

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