During the winter months, Pennsylvania drivers will likely see trucks driving on the roads carrying large loads of salt. The salt is typically used on icy roads in order to ensure safer conditions for drivers.
But on Friday of last week, a dump truck carrying a load of road salt caused a serious car accident in Dauphin County, near Harrisburg. Five vehicles were involved after the truck driver crashed into a car and then flipped onto its side. Three individuals were injured in the crash and one driver was killed after the dump truck landed on his car.
According to the article, the truck driver didn’t realize that traffic in front of him was slowing down and rear-ended the car in front of him. It appears that he then tried to swerve into another lane, causing the dump truck to tip over onto another car, a Volvo. The driver of the Volvo was critically injured and couldn’t get out of the vehicle; he died before emergency responders could reach him.
The Volvo driver’s passenger escaped the car unscathed. The three others who were injured were brought to local hospitals for medical treatment; their injuries were reported to be minor or moderate.
Police troopers spent most of Friday reconstructing the fatal accident and at this point believe that the crash was caused by the truck driver’s inattentiveness. At the time the article was written, no charges had been filed against the truck driver.
But in the aftermath of an accident like this one, the victims and their families will be faced with both practical and emotional challenges. The family of the man who died in the accident will also be dealing with funeral costs and lost wages, in addition to the grief that naturally follows the loss of a loved one.
Source: CBS 21 online, “Aftermath of the fatal accident on I-81,” Ewa Roman and Ryan Eldredge, 11 February 2011