A trucking accident left five injured after its driver struck a road-crew
vehicle parked on the shoulder of the interstate. The injury total includes
one construction worker who was not in any of the vehicles involved but
was working nearby filling pot-holes; somehow, all people involved escaped death.
The 39-year-old, San Antonio driver was cruising his big-rig through Southern
Illinois when he barreled into a road-crew’s dump truck. The impact
forced the dump truck to strike a second dump truck, causing a horrific
three-vehicle entanglement. State Troopers ticketed the man for failing
to yield to a stationary authorized emergency vehicle. The trucker also
failed to slow down when driving past the construction workers, as he
was also cited for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Even though the tractor-trailer accident involved no fatalities, accident-scene photographs demonstrate just how
devastating 18-wheelers can be when the driver fails to safely maintain
control of the vehicle. Because these trucks are extremely heavy and large,
they have sluggish agility and take a much longer time to reduce speed
than passenger vehicles. Because of these dangers, all truck drivers must
be licensed to operate commercial vehicles and must do so in accordance
with both federal and state laws.
Many trucking companies look the other way when their drivers use unsafe
driving practices – some companies even encourage them. The time truckers
save by travelling at unsafe speeds can come at the high cost of human
lives. Unfortunately, many truck drivers continue to put other motorists’
lives at risk, regardless of the law. Victims must hold them accountable
for their negligence through personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death
claims. It may be only way for some of the trucking companies to change
their ways.
Source: register-news.com, “Five injured in accident on Interstate 57,” 2/17/2011