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Rick is a Carolina injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

7/12/2010
Rick Shapiro
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Wake Forest, North Carolina Man Dies in Head On Crash with Tractor Trailer

A North Carolinian died in a car crash recently when his vehicle drifted into the median on Interstate 40 between Gallup and Grants, N.M., before being hit by a semi truck. The New Mexico state police don't know why the car of 42-year-old Jose Ferraz of Wake Forest, North Carolina drifted into the median.

According to the investigation Ferraz was wearing a seatbelt and had no alcohol in his system at the time of his death. The authorities indicated that after Ferraz drifted into the median, he then attempted to regain control of his vehicle but he lost further control as it went into a clockwise spin. The car continued through the median and in the pathway of the semi truck, which then hit the car. Ferraz was pronounced dead at the scene.

Although it is not clear how much time the tractor trailer driver had to react before he had to contend with the out of control car, there are some strategies he could have taken to have possibly avoiding the collision that left this man dead. Here is a likely scenario that may have played out:

You're driving down a two-lane highway at 55 mph and in the distance, you see a car approaching in your lane at a high rate of speed . You frantically honk your horn, but the car continues to move toward you in your lane. You are not sure what is wrong, maybe the driver might be asleep, or drunk.

To avoid a head-on collision:

•	Move to the right. If you move to the left, the head-on collision you were hoping to avoid may still happen. If the oncoming driver recovers, he may instinctively swerve back into his proper lane.
•	Reduce your speed and wait as long as you can to pull out of your lane. Pull as far to the right as possible; if need be, drive completely off the road.

Highway Hint
Driving off the road isn't without risk: There is a possibility you may be injured. However, it's almost always better than a head-on collision. If you have to hit something, aim for something relatively soft, such as shrubbery.

 

Category: Carolina Car & Motorcycle Accidents

Labels: car crash death injury killed lawyer New Mexico North Carolina Shapiro tractor trailer Wake Forest

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law. We maintain office in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC), on East Elizabeth Street, and we have handled thousands of cases in which victims got hurt or killed in car, truck, train and motorcycle crashes caused by others' negligence or carelessness.

We serve every area of North Carolina, including Elizabeth City, Edenton, Raleigh, Durham, Rocky Mount, Roanoke Rapids, Greensboro, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Halifax, Northampton,  Greenville, Goldsboro, Havelock, Kinston, New Bern, Tarboro, Wilson, Ahoskie, Currituck, Camden and the Outer Banks towns of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Manteo, Corolla, Currituck and Dare. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg.

Firm attorneys Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, our firm has been named a North Carolina "Best Law Firm" for personal injury law since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report.

We also offer free special reports on distracted driving and the Best Guide to Car Accident Injuries in North Carolina. 

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. Call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can get back to you.

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