Anyone who has driven on Chicago’s freeways has had to maneuver around road debris. Often times that debris consists of rubber from blown out truck tires. Though it is not uncommon for blow outs to occur it is less expected for an accident to result from a damaged tire.
A truck carrying logs on an out-of-state highway recently experienced a tire blow out and the consequences were devastating. The blow out caused the weight of the heavy logs to shift and the trailer on which they were riding to tip over. Logs then flew off of the trailer and struck a road crew that was doing work on a nearby bridge.
In sum twenty-one members of the road crew were affected by the accident. Nineteen of the individuals suffered personal injury from which they will have to recover. Two of the individuals sustained serious injuries and died from their ailments. One man passed away at the scene of the incident while the other died at a hospital. Several vehicles were also damaged in the unusual crash.
Authorities have detained the truck driver on a matter not related to the crash and no charges have been brought against him regarding this accident. It is possible that the injured victims and the families of the deceased road workers will seek to recover their damages from the party responsible for causing the crash. Possible defendants could be the truck driver’s employer or other entities responsible for putting the truck and damaged tire on the road.
Car and truck accidents happen with some frequency but the manner in which this incident occurred makes it unique. Distinctive personal injury situations can sometimes require special considerations in order to be brought as lawsuits in civil court. Personal injury lawyers are trained to manage the details of many kinds of personal injury cases, including those that result from unusual events.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Runaway truck hurls logs onto highway crew, killing 2, injuring 19,” Paresh Dave, June 3, 2014
