A Pennsylvania tanker truck driver fell asleep at the wheel of his 18 wheeler early Sunday morning and spilled a few thousand gallons of milk onto the side of Interstate 85 Business in High Point.
The crash closed down I-85 in both directions for several hours while commercial wrecker crews worked to clear the totalled tanker and the spilled milk.
T
he truck driver told investigators that he was hauling 6500 gallons of milk at the time of the rollover. No other vehicles were involved in the wreck, and no injuries were reported. While it is tempting to make light of this crash and ask where was the Keebler truck, the cause of this wreck (fatigued driving) is no laughing matter and is epidemic in the trucking industry.
To avoid being a victim of a tired trucker, never drive alongside of a large truck. If you must pass a tractor-trailer on the interstate, you should first make sure that you have room to move all the way past the truck before beginning your passing maneuvor, and you should steadily accellerate your vehicle as you move past the truck so that you do not get hidden in the trucker's blind spot.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that tractor-trailers are involved in approximately 457,000 crashes each year. Many of these wrecks are the result of fatigued truck drivers. The statistics vary from state to state, but it is safe to say that a significant percentage of all truck drivers on the road are driving in excess of the number of hours they can legally drive and many of those are dangerously fatigued. Most tired trucker accidents occur when a truck driver falls asleep for a short time and drifts into another lane of traffic.
When we are hired to represent a victim or survivor of a truck crash, the amount of property damage to the passenger vehicle is usually astronomical, and the injuries are catastrophic. While the below video is funny, the damage to the car is similar to what happens in most car vs. truck crashes. Be safe out there, and drive defensively . . . especially when you are close to a large truck.
