Fulton Woman Killed In Semi Truck Accident in Construction Zone
A woman died in a big rig accident on I-70 just east of Providence near a construction zone. According to a news report on ABC News’ Web site, a 61-year-old woman died after she reportedly rear-ended a semi truck. Eyewitnesses told the television station that she was driving at 60 miles an hour when her truck rammed into the back of the semi without braking at all.
The woman was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi had no injuries and the driver of a third vehicle suffered minor injuries after he swerved to miss the accident and got stuck between the semi and a concrete wall.
According to a man who saw the incident, the front end of the woman’s vehicle went underneath the semi and a trailer it was pulling went up in the air and then slammed back to the ground, the news report said.
This truck accident appears to have been an “underride accident,” which means the passenger vehicle that collided with the semi ran under the truck. This type of accident can be deadly to the occupants of passenger vehicles because when the vehicle goes under the truck, the roof of the vehicle can get sheared off, killing the occupants.
The passenger car is usually less than 30 inches above the ground while the bed of a tractor-trailer or semi is more than 45 inches above the ground. This is why there is a tendency for the passenger vehicle to go under or underride the trailer, causing serious injuries to the occupants of the passenger vehicle.
There are federal standards that require tractor-trailers designed after 1993 to be outfitted with reflective tape on both the back and the sides. Moreover, trucks designed after 1996 must have a rear bumper that is raised to 22 inches above the ground. That said, there are still many big rigs out there that are dangerous because they do not meet these requirements.
The family of the victim would greatly benefit from the counsel of an experienced Missouri truck accident attorney who can conduct a complete independent investigation into this truck accident and try to find out exactly what caused the accident. The Missouri Department of Transportation admits that this portion of the I-70 is already dangerous, but it is made even more so because of the construction activity. Officials are looking into this accident to see if any additional signs will be needed.
