Hamblen County, TN — Two people were killed in an accident with an 18-wheeler in Hamblen County, Florida, Monday morning. The accident took place on I-81, near Exit 15.
The vehicle had stalled out and was sitting in the northbound lane of the highway when it was hit by an 18-wheeler.
The vehicle had stalled out after being involved in another accident earlier that morning. The driver was killed, along with Elizabeth Velascobautista, a passenger in the car. Omar Velasco, another passenger at the time, was injured but survived.
The truck driver was not injured.
The investigation into the second accident is ongoing. At this time it’s unclear what caused the 18-wheeler to collided with the vehicle.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
My only question here would be why the driver of the 18-wheeler wasn’t able to see the car on the highway and stop before hitting it. This isn’t even a question of being aware of the amount of damage an 18-wheeler is capable of. Or making sure that the driver isn’t bleeding into another lane. This involved a car that — as the reports put it — was sitting across a lane of traffic. If the driver of the truck wasn’t able to catch it in time to avoid a collision, there are a few places our questions go. One, was the driver in some way distracted? Were they perhaps on their phone, or messing with the radio. Or two, perhaps they were coming over a hill, and as they crested it, saw the car on the highway and didn’t have enough time to stop. In either case, the onus would be on the driver of the 18-wheeler. If the first case is what happened, they should have been paying better attention. If it’s the second case, they should have been driving slower. The conditions on the road are going to be what they’re going to be. It’s the driver’s job to be as alert as he can for them.
— Grossman Law Offices
