ELLWOOD, IL — One driver has died after a major collision with a tractor-trailer that was reported in Elwood, Illinois on Friday, May 30th, 2014, according to the news report released by The Herald News.
Authorities have reason to believe that 51-year-old Donald Lundberg was killed when the vehicle he was driving is thought to have struck a trailer of a tractor-trailer that is thought to have run a stop light at the intersection of Baseline and Arsenal Road around 12:00 Friday.
Scene of the Accident
Paramedics pronounced Donald Lundberg dead on the scene when they arrived. No other injuries were reported after the crash.
The Illinois State Police is currently investigating the accident.
Commentary:
You may have the idea in your head that just because people behind the wheel of 80,000 pound commercial tractor-trailers are trained drivers, that they are not prone to the same kind of driving mistakes and distractions regular drivers fall prey to every day. If this news article is accurate, and the driver ran the red light, there is no doubt in my mind that the trucking company is probably in full-on damage control mode at this point. If their driver was not paying attention to the road for whatever reason, or their truck’s brakes failed then they are probably going to face liability in this case, and they are probably fully aware of this fact. Which means that their goal at this point is securing their bottom line from damage, as opposed to taking responsibility for the accident and the damages.
–Grossman Law Offices
