Widow of truck driver files wrongful death lawsuit against employer, others
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the widow of a West Virginia trucker who was killed while driving on Interstate 79 in Greene County.
Attorneys filed the lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Gloria A. Snyder of Weston, the executrix of the estate of Michael J. Snyder, 48, of Weston.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit were Tiller Well Services LLC, Octane Trucking LLC, WireCo Worldgroup Inc., Nomac Services LLC and Phillip A. Hull.
The suit states that on May 1, 2017, Michael Snyder, a tractor-trailer driver with Tiller Well Services, was driving a 2007 International Harvester truck owned by Octane Trucking north along I-79 in Perry Township.
He was hauling a spool of drill-line cable and a cradle designed and manufactured by WireCo, weighing approximately 27,000 pounds. The the cable and cradle were loaded in Mount Morris by Nomac Services and the load was being transported to a well site in Ohio.
As Snyder attempted to negotiate a right-hand curve, the load suddenly began swaying back and forth and became unstable.
Due to the load’s improper center of gravity, the vehicle “suddenly and violently” traveled off the roadway and into the grassy median, the suit claimed.
There, the load separated from the trailer, causing the tractor to roll onto its side. The trailer became dislodged and landed on the driver side cab of the tractor, collapsing it and crushing Snyder, according to the suit.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The lawsuit contends that the vehicle was in hazardous condition, that the spool of cable and cradle were loaded in violation of regulations and that improper instructions were given for loading and transporting the load. His wife is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.