The roof of an SUV was crushed by a dump truck that had tilted and smashed an SUV on Route 202 in East Whiteland Township. Tragically, two people were killed in the collision, and three more were injured. One is in critical condition at a local hospital.
It appeared that the dump truck attempted to stop to avoid a collision and swerved tilting on top of the SUV which had a driver and five passengers inside. A crane had to be used to lift the truck off the SUV, according to police at the scene, which closed the highway for many hours to clear the roads and give accident investigators time to process the scene.
Dump Truck Crashes
An empty dump truck can weigh as much as 56,000 lbs. with a legal load at around 30,000 lbs. When a truck of this weight crashes into a car, the results can be devastating. Trucks this size also have less stopping power than do typical passenger vehicles that average around 4,000 lbs.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 3,986 people died in large truck crashes in 2016, and passenger vehicle drivers and occupants comprised 66 percent of those fatalities. Only 17 percent were truck drives due to the protection given them by their truck.
How do These Crashes Occur?
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 59 percent of all large truck crashes occur on U.S. highways while 19 percent of them occurred on freeways and interstate highways while the balance of them occurred on state highways, county roads and minor roads.
While each crash is unique, there are common causes of dump truck and larger truck crashes with driver error being a common factor in many of them
- Speeding: Overall, speed is a primary cause of over 31 percent of all traffic fatalities.
- Reckless driving: Erratic driving, aggressive driving, abrupt lane changes and any behavior that unnecessarily puts others in danger.
- Distracted driving: Texting and other cell phone use is rapidly overtaking all other forms of distracted driving. Others include changing the radio or CD player, or eating.
- Drowsy Drivers: Trucks often spend hours on the road leading to driver fatigue.
- Load shifts: These happen when an unsecured load causes a truck to swerve or jackknife, this can be avoided by using suitable restraints to properly secure the cargo or load of he vehicle.
Do I need an Attorney?
Always contact an attorney as soon as possible after any crash involving a serious injury or a death. This consultation may drastically change the outcome of your case. While an attorney is not needed in each and every case, a good attorney will provide you with options which are in your best interest.
Edith Pearce at The Pearce Law Firm, P.C. has worked with complicated truck accidents in the past. If you or a loved one is ever involved in a truck accident of any kind, contact her as soon as possible at (215) 596 4070 or by email here.