The term “truck accidents” is by no means synonymous with large semi-trailers or 18-wheelers. To be sure, big rigs are responsible for many accidents — and, because of the sheer size of the trucks involved, those accidents are often very serious or even fatal.
There are also, however, many other types of trucks on the road. And those trucks also are involved in many truck accidents, including fatal ones.
Last week there was an example of this in Texas. A truck accident in which a dump truck landed on top of two cars killed two people.
The accident occurred in Dallas on the LBJ Freeway. The dump truck apparently jumped the median and crossed into oncoming traffic. And when it came down, the truck pinned two cars underneath it — one underneath each end of the truck.
Law enforcement and safety officials have not assigned causes of the truck accident. Press accounts noted, however, that the crash occurred on a part of the freeway where road construction has affected the flow of traffic. The construction is part of the LBJ Express Project.
In fact, the owner of the dump truck involved in the accident was reportedly a subcontractor on that project.
The accident impacted traffic on the freeway to such a degree that the freeway had to be closed for awhile. It took about four hours before it was reopened.
But delays on the freeway are nothing compared to the loss of life. The two fatalities underscore how serious truck accidents of any type can be, regardless of whether a big rig is involved.
Source: CBSDFW, “Dump Truck Closes LBJ Freeway in Dallas,” September 10, 2013