HOUSTON, TX — A tractor-trailer crash and explosion took the life of one person and sent the driver to the hospital in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014, according to the report from Click 2 Houston.
Authorities have said that they believe one person was killed and a truck driver was injured when the tractor-trailer they were in veered off the road before hitting a guardrail and a concrete obstruction before erupting into flames on Highway 290 around 1:30 in the morning.
Scene of the Accident
One person in the sleeper cab of the tractor-trailer was killed in the crash, while the driver of the truck was ejected from the vehicle and suffered minor injuries.
The investigation into the accident is being led by officials from the Houston Police Department.
Commentary:
Any time a tractor-trailer explodes or erupts into flames after an accident, I can’t help but wonder if this accident didn’t have to be as bad as it was. Many people may be surprised to hear this, but tractor-trailers are not designed with nearly the amount of safety features that regular cars have. Many tractor-trailers you see on the road do not even have airbags. So when a fire breaks out after an accident, I cant help but wonder if a design flaw is to blame for the severity of the accident. You hear of vehicle’s being recalled all the time, and tractor-trailers are not immune to similar factory defects, the only problem with recalls is that several accidents of a similar nature have to happen first before a recall is issued. If a mechanical failure, or inherent design flaw is found to have caused the crash, the trucking company may be liable for the accident.