Fiery explosions not uncommon in some truck accidents
The Georgia State Patrol has reported a truck accident that resulted in three serious injuries on Dec. 24. The accident occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on West Highway 16 when a pickup truck driver crossed the center line and crashed into a semi-truck head-on. As occasionally happens in truck accidents, there was an explosion after the collision. The tractor-trailer went off the roadway in flames, struck a telephone pole and then a mailbox, prior to jackknifing and ending up stationary with its cab on fire.
Passing motorists who stopped for the accident heard someone calling out for help. They traveled around the debris to approach the driver of the rig from the front and found him in a distraught condition. They extricated and carried him away from the fumes and flames.
The driver of the pickup was critically injured and removed to a hospital. The pickup’s passenger also suffered serious injuries, and the tractor-trailer’s driver was also seriously injured. All three had to be taken to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment. Police say that they believe that speed may have been a factor in causing the accident.
The semi-truck driver is entitled to make a claim against the driver who crossed the center line and crashed into him head-on. The passenger in the pickup is also entitled to make a claim for personal injury damages against the pickup driver. Such claims are of course made to the insurance carrier for the at-fault driver.
The Georgia Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team, which is often assigned to investigate truck accidents, is investigating this accident. The findings will generally assist the injured parties in proving liability. Where the at-fault driver may be insufficiently insured to cover serious personal injury claims, the injured victims must look to their own automobile insurance policies to see if the have underinsured motorists’ coverage. Such insurance covers the excess over and above what the tortfeasor’s insurance covered.
Source: times-herald.com, “Three hurt in fiery head-on crash“, Clay Neely, Dec. 24, 2017