Howard, WI — A gas truck explosion killed a truck driver and left another man critically injured in Howard, Wisconsin, last Thursday. The explosion occurred at an industrial park on Pamperin Road. According to authorities, the explosion was the result of the truck’s load shifting, which compromised its fuel system. The driver of the truck was killed in the blast. The explosion threw the second man involved from the cab. He suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Ed Janke, Howard’s Public Safety Director said that this is the first time he’s ever seen an accident like this. Because they weren’t sure what caused the initial explosion, several local businesses were evacuated in order to create a safe zone.
The local sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the blast.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
To be perfectly honest, this accident is more than a little disturbing. Officials have said the explosion was caused by a shifting load in the truck. Don’t these trucks’ loads shift all the time? Isn’t that a natural process of driving out on the road? It’s kind of amazing that a possibility such as this wasn’t thought of and planned for ahead of time. In any sort of work related accident, we need to start looking at a state’s workers’ compensation laws. I don’t know exactly what they look like in Wisconsin. Even though Texas has a workers’ compensation program, not every employer is forced to opt in to it. The same may be true for Wisconsin. I would start looking there, because in Texas, there’s a gross negligence clause in the law that gives an employee a way to recover damages in the case of, much as the name suggests, gross negligence.
If Howard’s Public Safety Director is so surprised that something like this happened in the first place, it’s possible that there was some sort of mechanical defect in the truck’s fuel system. We’ll have to wait until the authorities conclude their investigation until we know for sure.
