The Huffington Post recently published a powerful and harrowing story describing an Illinois State Trooper’s near death experience during a truck accident. As you read our summary of what happened, please keep in mind that many accidents just like this are preventable.
In January of 2014, the trooper was responding to a stalled semi-truck along an Illinois tollway. After pulling up to the stalled semi-truck, the officer flipped his lights on to alert oncoming vehicles. He was joined by a bright yellow tollway vehicle and a heavy-duty tow truck. The tow truck and state trooper both had emergency lights activated. In addition, roadside flares illuminated the surrounding area for oncoming traffic. On this particular night, visibility was clear. There is no good excuse for what happened next.
A semi-truck hauling multi-ton steel coils was closing in fast on the three emergency vehicles. The semi-truck driver made no effort to slow down or move one lane over because he was falling asleep at the wheel. Within seconds, he crashed into the state trooper’s vehicle at 63 miles per hour, sending his Crown Victoria into a nearby ditch.
The Crown Victoria exploded and the state trooper was set aflame. One of the 14,580-pound steel coils hit the toll vehicle and killed its driver. Fortunately, the officer managed to escape his burning Crown Victoria by crawling out of the passenger window. He quickly rolled around in the snow and extinguished the flames. Ultimately, he suffered serious burns to one-third of his body and spent six weeks in a medically induced coma. If stricter commercial transportation regulations existed at the time, this accident might have never happened in the first place.
The Unsafe Relationship Between Trucking Industry Lobbyists and Congress
Federal lawmakers have an enormous responsibility to the public because their decisions affect all Americans. They are, after all, representatives of the public. When lawmakers block transportation regulations that protect the public, they have arguably failed to carry out the duties of their offices. In this case, trucking industry lobbyists have manipulated members of Congress to serve the trucking industry’s interests by repealing safety regulations and stopping new ones from being created.
Lobbyists have convinced Congress to repeal updated hours-of-service rules, which stipulate how many hours truckers can operate before taking mandatory resting periods. They have also fought against a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposal to test for sleep apnea, a condition that causes excessive daytime drowsiness and makes drivers five times more likely to crash.
Truck accidents are a huge public safety threat. According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration statistics, there were 3,964 deaths caused by truck accidents in 2013. Thousands more have suffered catastrophic injuries and permanent disabilities. We have described one state trooper’s experience during a truck accident, but there are thousands of additional stories to tell. As long as lawmakers put the trucking industry ahead of public safety, people will continue to be placed in harm’s way.
The Colorado truck accident attorneys at Metier Law Firm can help hold negligent commercial carriers accountable.