Sandstone, WV — An 18-wheeler accident in Sandstone, West Virginia, sent a man to the hospital on Friday, August 22, 2014. The accident took place on Interstate 64.
Reports indicate that a trucker hauling a load of steel lost control of his vehicle, forcing him to take the road’s emergency escape ramp. The steel the truck was hauling shifted as the truck came to a stop, which knocked the cab from the truck.
Emergency workers transported the driver to Raleigh General Hospital. There’s been no update on his condition and his name has not been released. Local officials are still investigating the accident.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
As horrible as this accident was — and it could have been so much worse — I think it does a good job of illustrating the fact that 18-wheelers aren’t the tanks some people believe them to be. When they’re in a sort of considerable accident, the cabs are ripped apart. There are issues with lack of safety features, such as airbags, the placement of the fuel tanks, and there are issues with loads shifting.
If a truck’s haul isn’t properly loaded, it runs the risk of shifting. And as we see, that can have very dangerous consequences for the truck and more importantly for the driver. Now, if a driver was out on the road and got into a wreck, that’s something that would typically fall under workers comp. However, if a third party were responsible for loading the truck, then that would fall outside the scope of workers comp, and they could potentially be found liable for the accident.
— Grossman Law Offices
