When commercial trucks collide with passenger vehicles on our busy North Carolina roads, the outcomes are all too often devastating and tragic.
This week, a commercial truck accident in Lee County, North Carolina, resulted in the death of a passenger after the two vehicles collided head-on. According to one state trooper, the accident was one of the worst he has seen in recent years. The accident was so bad that the Medical Examiner’s Office in Chapel Hill reported that examiners will need to rely on dental records in order to be able to identify the victim. The victim’s identity may not be confirmed with family and friends until next week.
The fatal accident occurred Monday afternoon near the Lee County and Harnett County lines on Swann Station Road. According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the driver of an SUV suddenly crossed the centerline on the road, crashing head-on with a tractor trailer that was hauling a load of rock. Both the big rig and the SUV caught fire after the collision, and the SUV was crushed under the big rig’s cab.
The crash site remained closed for nearly five hours while the wreckage was cleared and the incident was investigated. The victim in the passenger car died at the scene. The driver of the truck was able to climb out of the burning rig.
As of Monday, troopers could not even tell the victim’s race or whether the victim was a man or a woman. Although the driver of the SUV may have been responsible for causing the crash after crossing the centerline on the road, this tragic incident exemplifies just how important it is for trucking companies and drivers to make sure that they abide by state and federal laws in order to prevent unsafe tractor trailers or unsafe driving habits from causing a serious or fatal collision with other vehicles on our North Carolina roads.
Source: ABC11, “One killed in head-on crash in Lee County,” Jon Camp, Feb. 7, 2012