Portage, WI — Officials report that two people have been hospitalized following an accident with a semi-truck near Portage, Wisconsin, on Monday, September 1, 2014. The accident took place on Interstate 90, around 8:30 at night.
According to reports, a Ford had stopped for traffic in the right lane of the intersection when it was hit by a westbound semi-truck. Two people were inside the Ford at the time. The driver was taken to Divine Savior Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Ford’s passenger was reportedly not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was taken to University of Wisconsin Hospital with serious injuries. Neither man was named.
The driver of the semi-truck was also taken to Divine Savior. Officials say he was not wearing a seat belt.
The reason for the accident is still being investigated by the Wisconsin State Patrol.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
There are a lot of great truck drivers out there. People who follow the law, take plenty of breaks, and generally make sure that they’re in the proper condition to carry out the duties of their job. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad drivers out there. Drivers who don’t watch the road like they should. Drivers who drive for hours and hours without taking a brake. I don’t know which category this driver falls into. But I think there are some questions we need to start asking so that we can find out. If the driver was speeding, or had been out on the road for an excessively long time, electronic data from the truck will tell us. If he was on his phone, that can be double-checked as well. If either of those turn out to be the case, the driver needs to be held responsible. In any case, the trucking company needs to do right by the victims here.
— Grossman Law Offices
