Maumee, OH — Dan Bethany was one of three people injured when a passing tanker truck crashed into his construction vehicle in Maumee, Ohio, on Friday, September 19, 2014.
Bethany was one of two workers walking outside the sign truck when the accident occurred. He and another crew member, as well as the truck’s driver, were all taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center. Officials say their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, although no one from the hospital has been able to say for sure.
The collision made both vehicles undriveable. The sign truck was pushed across the highway and into a yard before coming to a rest.
Mike Barr was the driver of the tanker truck, owned by Watkins Oil Co. out of Hillsdale, Michigan. Police are currently investigating the accident, and making note of Barr’s logbook. Police say it’s possible Barr will be cited for the accident.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
This is a really bad accident, but one I’ve seen happen over and over again. The driver said that he fell asleep at the wheel. That’s the problem. So what’s the cause of the problem? Often, we see that the drivers who are working for these companies are just plain overworked. The reason why is pretty simple. A bigger company is going to be doing more business. And more business means drivers have to make more deliveries — and their bosses sometimes put pressure on them to deliver them faster. They’re out on the road longer, and that sometimes leads to drivers getting less sleep. Hopefully this company will be able to step up and take responsibility for what they’ve done, because these accidents shouldn’t happen.
I think it’s easy to say that working on the road is a dangerous job and that these workers knew what they were getting themselves into, but the fact of the matter is that it’s only dangerous because people like this truck driver create dangerous situations for everyone involved. Again, this accident shouldn’t have happened, and I’m willing to bet that it could have been easily avoided.
— Grossman Law Offices
