The Chopin Law Firm explains how rear-end crashes with tractor-trailers happen and shares steps drivers can take to stay safer on the city’s elevated highways.
NEW ORLEANS, LA, UNITED STATES, November 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Chopin Law Firm is urging drivers to leave extra room behind 18-wheelers, especially late at night, after a fatal crash on the Pontchartrain Expressway early on October 31. According to local news reports, a passenger car struck the back of an 18-wheeler around 2 a.m. near the Tchoupitoulas Street exit, in traffic that had slowed for an earlier crash. The driver of the car lost his life. The New Orleans Police Department is investigating.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the driver’s family and loved ones,” said Justin Chopin, owner and managing partner of The Chopin Law Firm. “Police are still investigating, and we’ll let that investigation determine what happened. What we can do is help other drivers understand why hitting the back of a big truck is so dangerous, and what they can do to protect themselves.”
A tractor-trailer sits much higher off the ground than a passenger car. In a rear-end crash, a car can slide under the back of the trailer. Safety advocates call this an underride crash. When it happens, the trailer can bypass the car’s bumper, crumple zones, and airbags and strike the windshield and passenger area instead.
Rear impact guards, the metal bars that hang below the back of most trailers, help prevent this. Federal rules finalized in 2022 require guards on new trailers to protect occupants of a car striking the rear at 35 mph, up from 30 mph. Federal regulators also added rear impact guards to the annual inspection that trucks must pass.
“Those guards matter, but they can’t do the whole job,” Chopin said. “A car hitting the back of a trailer at highway speed has very little margin. The best protection is never closing that gap in the first place.”
The Chopin Law Firm encourages drivers on the Pontchartrain Expressway, I-10, and other elevated highways in New Orleans to:
– Look past the taillights. Watch for the red and white reflective tape on a trailer’s sides and rear. It often shows the shape of a truck before the brake lights register.
– Expect sudden slowdowns. Traffic backs up quickly near bridge approaches, exits, and earlier crashes. Ease off the gas as soon as you see brake lights ahead.
– Hold back from trucks. Keep at least four seconds of following distance behind an 18-wheeler, and more in rain. If you can’t see the truck’s side mirrors, the driver can’t see you.
– Turn on your hazard lights in a backup. On an elevated roadway with little or no shoulder, flashers help warn drivers coming up behind you.
– Stay alert in the early morning hours. Fatigue slows reaction time. Pull off and rest, or let someone else drive, instead of pushing through.
“Many of the crashes we see could have been avoided with a few extra seconds of space,” Chopin said. “Slowing down near a big truck costs you a few seconds. It can save a life.”
Truck crashes often involve more than one driver. A trucking company, a maintenance contractor, or a trailer manufacturer may share responsibility, depending on the facts. Anyone injured in a truck accident in New Orleans or elsewhere in Louisiana can contact The Chopin Law Firm for a free case evaluation.
About The Chopin Law Firm
The Chopin Law Firm is a New Orleans personal injury law firm that represents injured people and their families throughout Louisiana. The firm handles car and truck accidents, maritime and offshore injuries, premises liability, workers’ compensation, and wrongful death claims. Its attorneys bring prior experience representing insurance companies and corporations, giving clients an inside view of how the other side approaches a case. Learn more at chopinlawfirm.com.
Justin Chopin
The Chopin Law Firm
+1 (504) 475-2429
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