Two recent crashes in Mississippi reveal just how dangerous accidents involving passenger vehicles and tractor-trailers can be. Though most people understand that passenger cars and semi-trucks aren’t evenly matched, people often forget how catastrophic the results are when the two collide. Sadly, the harm is almost always suffered by those in the passenger vehicles whose cars were no match for giant commercial trucks weighing 10 or 20 times more.
he first accident occurred in Warren County, MS where authorities say a wreck occurred at 2 in the morning on I-20 eastbound. Officials with the Mississippi Highway Patrol say that two vehicles, a GMC Yukon and a Ford Explorer, were parked on the shoulder of the road when an 18-wheeler drifted out of its lane and crashed into the Explorer.
A 26-year-old woman was killed and another young woman was seriously injured and taken to University Medical Center for treatment. Police say they are continuing to investigate exactly what led to the accident, but preliminary reports indicate that the driver of the 18-wheeler says he was forced off the road by yet another 18-wheeler.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol says that another wreck took place at 2 in the afternoon earlier this month, also on I-20. The crash occurred in Clinton, MS and happened when an 18-wheeler slowed because of road construction. Two teenagers, one 18 and one 17, were in a pickup truck behind the semi and came to a stop. Tragically, another tractor-trailer behind the teens was unable to stop and rear-ended their vehicle, crushing the truck between the two much larger semis.
Law enforcement officials say that the teens were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, having succumbed to very serious injuries. The drivers of the tractor-trailers, meanwhile, were reported to have had very minor, non-life-threatening injuries. A GoFundMe page has since been started to raise money for the families of the two teens who are struggling to deal with the sudden loss of their loved ones.
Both accidents illustrate just how dangerous tractor-trailers can be, especially when the giant commercial motor vehicles crash into much smaller passenger cars and trucks. If you have been injured in a Mississippi car, motorcycle or tractor-trailer accident and think you may have a personal injury claim, please contact the Mississippi personal injury attorneys at Kilpatrick & Philley at 601-707-4669.