Jackson County, WI — Police identified Thomas Vertein as the driver of a FedEx semi-truck that crashed on Interstate 94 in Jackson County, Wisconsin, on Friday, January 30, 2015. The accident happened around 3:45 in the morning.
Police say that Vertein was traveling along 94 when he deviated from his lane and ran his truck off the road. He went into the median and crashed his truck into a wooded area, which separated the trailer of his truck from the cab.
According to local reports, Vertein was able to remove himself from the wreckage of his truck before emergency workers arrived on the scene. He was then transported to a nearby hospital. The extent of his injuries wasn’t specified.
No one else was reported injured in the accident. Police are currently investigating the crash.
Approximate Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Unfortunately, semi-trucks are the indestructible tanks that many people think they are. In many instances, these vehicles have proven to be incredibly unsafe. One area in which semi-trucks can be incredibly lacking is how stable they are when the load they are hauling shifts while the truck is out on the road. In the past, there have been instances of this happening in which the truck has lost control and tipped over. This can add an extra wrinkle to what otherwise might be a typical work accident. Often, truckers aren’t responsible for loading their own trucks. If a third party failed to properly load the truck, and that led to an accident out on the road, liability for the accident could fall onto whoever was responsible for the loading.
Did something like that happen here? I can’t say. If we’re just being honest, it’s possible that the driver wasn’t paying attention to the road and drove off into the trees. Still, it’s something that should definitely be looked into.
— Grossman Law Offices
