Woman Killed in western North Carolina Collision in Burke County, North Carolina

BURKE COUNTY, N.C.- Wect.com writes that a 22-year-old woman died in a crash involving a tractor-trailer. The crash took place late last week in the morning. The victim’s vehicle struck the side of the truck’s trailer in an “underride” crash where her vehicle went under the trailer of the truck.*

Reports indicate that a vehicle traveling in front of the truck lost control on the rainy roadway and struck a guardrail before bouncing back into the road. The truck braked, and the victim struck the larger vehicle.

The truck driver also suffered injuries in the crash and received treatment from a nearby hospital. Police cited the driver who initially lost control for driving too fast for road conditions. 

Statistically, about 200 people die in crashes involving their vehicle under-riding the side of a trailer. These crashes are often some of the most devastating and gruesome on the road. Many vehicle protections are useless in these scenarios. The top of the vehicle is often sheared clean off, and the occupant decapitated. 

While officials are aware of the statistics, and of a simple fix that could prevent more of these tragedies, so far, the government has failed to act. Studies have indicated that the presence of side-rails on trailers would greatly reduce the severity of these accidents. Trucks are already required to have these railings in the back to prevent underride crashes when vehicles hit the rear of a trailer.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that side guards would be effective in reducing injuries and deaths from these types of accidents, but as of now, the inclusion of these features is only a recommendation and not a requirement. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Source:https://www.wect.com/2019/11/01/pender-high-school-college-advisor-killed-western-nc-crash/