Mississippi roadways have had more than their fair share of accidents involving tractor-trailers in recent weeks. One of the recent accidents was especially dramatic, demonstrating just how much destructive power semi-trucks possess. The size, weight and speed of the giant machines means that when things go wrong, they often go very wrong, and those unfortunate enough to be on the other side suffer the consequences.
One chain reaction crash involving tractor-trailers occurred mid-December in Itawamba County, Mississippi. In that crash, a series of 18-wheelers collided on a stretch of I-22 near Fawn Grove. According to police, the crash began in the early evening when a tractor-trailer heading west crossed the median. The truck was carrying a full load of bricks, meaning it would’ve been incredibly heavy at the time. This was proven true by the damage done to the guardrail system, which was no match for the fast-moving truck. Authorities say the first 18-wheeler barreled through the cable guardrail and entered the eastbound lanes, dragging the metal cables along with it.
After venturing into the eastbound lanes, the truck then kept going and crashed into the woods before coming to a stop. The problem, of course, was that the metal guardrail cables remained in the highway. Shortly thereafter, a second 18-wheeler, heading east and hauling a gooseneck trailer, passed by. The second semi got caught in the cables and sent it crashing back through the median.
The driver of the second tractor-trailer then got out after his truck came to a stop to see if he could untangle the truck from all the cables. The problem this time was that the back end of his truck wasn’t completely out of the road. Only a few moments later, after the driver had exited the cab, a third tractor-trailer, also heading east, crashed into the back of the second. The driver of the second truck was then hit by his own vehicle and throw into the air due to the force of the collision.
Police say that all three drivers suffered serious injuries and had to be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Though the wreck caused a terrible mess and took hours to clean up, authorities say it could’ve been much worse. Though it was already bad, the reality is that an accident involving three different tractor-trailer moving at highway speeds could very well have been much worse and often is. One thing that may have helped with that is that all the accidents involved tractor-trailers. When these giant trucks crash into much smaller and lighter passenger vehicles, the damage can be tremendous and even deadly, as the small cars aren’t equipped to withstand such a collision.
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.
Source: http://djournal.com/news/three-injured-multi-truck-wreck-22/