At Witherite Law Group, we fight for justice on behalf ofindividuals and families harmed by negligent trucking companies. A recent deadly truck wreck on Interstate 75, near the Georgia-Tennessee border, underscores the serious safety issues plaguing parts of the freight industry-particularly within Amazon's sprawling delivery network.
The wreck, involved a driver hauling cargo for Amazon who now faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault and felony reckless endangerment. Tragically, the wreck claimed the lives of two father and a 3-year-old boy and left several others hospitalized. The preliminary hearing is now set for September.
Our attorney Adewale Odetunde, who specializes in commercial truck wrecks and represents victims of catastrophic collisions, shared insights with 11Alive News as part of their in-depth investigation. It's not just one wreck; it's a pattern.
"Amazon itsn't truly vetting these drivers," said Odetunde. "I see it quite often—drivers lying on their applications, companies skipping driving record checks."
The 11Alive report reveals how Amazon's Relay platform, designed to streamline freight shipments between warehouses, is inadvertently enabling unsafe practices. Unlike traditional long-term freight contracts, Amazon's system relies heavily on small, often under-regulated carriers. Many of these operators lack federal safety scores and some have troubling histories of violations or frequent rebranding to avoid scrutiny.
"They'll close one company down, open a new one, and now they've got a clean slate," said Odetunde.
One of the most alarming patterns involves double brokering, where one company illegally passes a shimpment to another without disclosure. In one heartbreaking case covered in the article, a 3-year-old girl suffered traumatic brain injury and paralysis after a crash involving an Amazon freight carrier that had previously been barred from the program—only to return under a different company name.
According to 11Alive's analysis, at least 22 lawsuits have been filed since 2023 involving Amazon freight wrecks in Georgia-more than the combined total linked to drivers for Costo, Target, and Walmart. Odetunde and the Witherite Law Group team have been at the forefront of many of these cases, demanding accountability and fighting for the long-term care and financial security of those affected.
As a law firm specialized to truck accident victims in Georgia, Texas, and Illinois, we understand how devastating these wrecks can be.
“It has catastrophic impacts,” Odetunde said. “Not just the person involved in the wreck, but their families, the people that they work for.”
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck wreck involving a commercial carrier or Amazon freight vehicle, you don't have to face it alone. Witherite Law Group has the expertise to pursue the justice and result you deserve.
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