Trucks are an integral part of our economy-they transport material from one state to another and help the economies grow. Due to the nature of the trucking industry, state and federal laws both regulate them. These laws are about truck driver’s driving and resting hours and the size of the trucks among other things. The reason these regulations exist is because, when a truck accident takes place, the devastation is often more than that of a car accident. The weight and size of the truck makes it a formidable object and the injuries and damage sustained in a truck accident are often more severe than those sustained in a car crash.
This was demonstrated when a truck accident involving two tractor-trailers took place in Missouri recently. Not only were the two trucks damaged, debris from the accident flew and damaged another vehicle. One person was seriously injured and the highway was closed for a number of hours.
According to the police, one tractor-trailer was carrying concrete ingredients and the other was one for the postal service. The cement ingredient carrying truck rear-ended the other tractor-trailer. The accident took place in such a manner that the cabins became interlocked with one another and it wasn’t possible to extract the driver who got stuck in the wreckage for around two hours. Heavy trucks were called to pull apart the two vehicles involved in the accident and the process took more than one hour. According to some, it was one of the lengthiest extractions that they had seen. The driver was then rushed to the hospital for treatment of their serious injuries. However, this was not the end of the wreckage, as debris from the accident flew and struck another car and one of the trailers also hit a fourth vehicle.
Truck accidents take place for a variety of reasons, but the destruction they cause is often colossal. The medical expenses therefore can become lengthy and difficult to keep up with. It may be possible to hold the reckless truck driver accountable for their role in the crash. In addition to this, it may also be possible to hold the truck company responsible for failing to oversee their driver.
Source: fox4kc, “Morning crash on I-670 forces it to close all day,” Stephanie Graflage and John Pepitone, June 15, 2017
