It’s nearly 250 miles from Joplin to Missouri’s Boone County,
but it’s the kind of hours-long haul truck drivers make routinely.
Unfortunately, it’s not always the kind of haul that can be made safely.
Earlier this week, a pair of
truck accidents on Interstate 70 took two lives. One person died in Boone County in a
fiery crash, and the second was killed was in next-door Cooper County
in a crash in traffic backed up because of the first accident.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said that a Georgia trucker was killed
when his tractor-trailer slammed into another 18-wheeler from behind.
The collision caused the truck hit from behind to jackknife and smash
into a Toyota SUV, which was flipped by the impact into the interstate median.
Two women inside the SUV suffered injuries described as “moderate,”
and were hospitalized.
The fuel tank of the Georgia man’s truck was ruptured in the crash,
and a blaze quickly engulfed the vehicle. It is unknown if the driver
of the rear-ended truck was injured.
It’s also unknown why the Georgia trucker didn’t notice that
traffic ahead of him had slowed. In many similar cases, drivers are fatigued
as they make long hauls or are distracted by GPS or cell phones or other
electronic devices.
About five hours later, traffic was still backed up to detour around the
section of I-70 closed because of the crash. That’s when a Missouri
woman driving a Volkswagen collided with the back of a tractor-trailer
driven by a North Carolina man.
It’s not known if the driver of the 2012 Freightliner was injured
or why the woman didn’t stop for the slowed big rig ahead of her.
If you are injured in a crash caused by a distracted driver or a fatigued
motorist, discuss your case as soon as possible with an experienced personal
injury attorney who will be there to protect your rights and interests.
Source: Columbia Daily Tribune,
\”Two people killed in Interstate 70 crashes on Monday,\” Alicia Stice, August 18, 2014
