PILGER, NE — A tractor-trailer accident claimed the lives of three motorists in Pilger, Nebraska on Tuesday, May 20th, 2014, according to a news report from the Fremont Tribune.
Police have said that they have reason to believe that three people were killed when an SUV collided with a tanker truck, which was then struck by a tractor-trailer that was hauling grain while driving on Highway 15 at the intersection with Highway 32 around 9:00 Tuesday morning. The suv, the tanker truck, and the tractor-trailer all burst into flames after the crash.
Scene of the Accident
Investigators believe that two people in the SUV were killed, while the driver of the tractor-trailer was also killed.
Representatives from the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office was assisting with the accident investigation.
Commentary:
Chain reaction accidents can be confusing, messy situations to deal with after-the-fact. In this accident, I am most curious about the speed of the second tractor-trailer in this crash, followed closely by he subsequent fire. Firstly, if the accident happened in front of the second truck, and the second truck was either following too closely, or speeding, and could not stop, or swerve to avoid the accident. This tells me that there is a good chance that the second driver could bear some of the fault.
Furthermore, the fact that a fire broke out after the accident is a very common, and unfortunate event in tractor-trailer accidents. This is in large part due to the fact that these trucks are outfitted with an externally mounted gas tank on the sides of the truck. In many of these commercial vehicle crashes, this tank is punctured or crushed, resulting in flammable fluids gushing all over the accident scene. If this accident was made worse by the gas tank suffering damage, the designer of the truck or gas tank could also bear some of the liability, but I’d definitely say that this accident needs a closer look. Without question.
–Grossman Law Offices
