Speed is often a factor in the many auto accidents that occur on Illinois roads each day. Drivers who operate their vehicles too fast can easily lose control of their cars, motorcycles and other automobiles and create dangerous problems for the people near them.
A truck driver for the Environmental Management Corporation recently created just such a situation on Lock and Dam Road in Quincy, Illinois. He was operating his sewage transport truck at too high of a rate of speed for the road and tipped the truck over. Sewage from the truck leaked out and around the roadway which then had to be cleaned up by city workers.
This accident is a clear example of how not all damages and injuries in auto accidents come directly from cars physically hitting each other. The sewage that leaked from the truck could have contaminated local soil, waterways or private property, causing individuals to come into contact with the sewage without any immediate warning. While thankfully no other drivers were hurt, automobile accidents can create environmental hazards that can harm people and that are often forgotten in the dramatic process of helping people escape accident impacts.
Individuals who are impacted by the environmental conditions caused by auto accidents have rights against the responsible parties. In this case, any individuals who suffered health problems from coming into contact with the leaked sewage could possibly have claims against the truck driver, his employer and others who were in the chain of putting that truck on the road. Though an accident investigation may yield more facts on why this accident occurred, compensation may be available to indirect victims of auto accidents who suffer damages from accident conditions other than the actual impact.
Source: Quincy Herald-Whig, “Truck hauling sewage overturns on Lock and Dam Road,” August 1, 2013
