Truck Overturns Leading to Traffic Delays in Charlotte, North Carolina (NC)

CHARLOTTE, NC- Wbtv.com writes that a crash involving a semi-truck closed all lanes of Interstate 77’s southbound lanes this week. The incident took place in the late morning close to Exit 11. The wreck led to what the fire department referred to as “hazardous conditions,” but no additional information was provided.*

One responder reported that the crash severely injured at least one person. The victim’s name and condition have not been released at this time.The truck ended up overturned on its side near the exit. Reports did not include an explanation of the crash. Lanes remained closed until the late afternoon while crews worked to clear the scene. 

Large trucks can be extremely dangerous to others on the roadway. Because they are so massive and outweigh other cars by twenty times or more, crashes involving trucks are often devastating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety writes that 4,136 individuals lost their lives in large truck collisions in 2018 alone. The majority of the people killed were those traveling in passenger vehicles. 

Despite the attention needed to safely operate a large truck, the drivers in control of these vehicles are frequently spending long stretches of time on the road. Federal regulations permit truckers to travel up to eleven hours in one stretch. Studies show that this practice increases the risk of a crash. In fact, the likelihood of a collision is double after a driver has been on the road for eight hours. Still, some drivers stay on the road even in violation of the regulations. Drivers who violate rules of service regulations are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel. Trucker fatigue puts truck drivers and all those sharing the road with with them at risk of serious accidents. 

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 a 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.

Sources:

https://www.wbtv.com/2020/06/11/i-sb-closed-after-tractor-trailer-overturns-near-i-/

https://www.iihs.org/topics/large-trucks