New Bremen, Ohio — A teenager from Houston, identified as 19-year old Hunter Smith, was injured in between New Bremen and St. Mary’s after her car was hit by a semi-truck in an accident.
This happened around 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, September 8, 2015.
Smith was reportedly driving her Ford Focus along Route 66, approaching Route 219, when she slowed down to make a left turn. As she did, a Pontiac behind her slammed on its brakes, prompting a semi-truck behind the Pontiac to lose control. The big rig swerved into another lane to avoid hitting the cars, but crashed into Smith’s Ford Focus instead. This was in the northbound lanes.
The accident left Smith with injuries and she had to be flown to a nearby hospital.
The trucker, 68-year old Ernest Raber, wasn’t harmed and neither was the Pontiac’s driver, who wasn’t identified.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
Form what it looks like in the news, this accident could have been easily avoided, had these drivers been following at a safe distance that morning. However, it looks like both the Pontiac and the semi-truck were simply too close to each other to brake in time. I’m actually a little disappointed to see that a professional trucker was involved here, because they’re supposed to be the “safest of the safe” when it comes to being careful on the road — heck, they drive for a living.
I hear a lot of folks talk about how semi-trucks can’t brake as fast as regular cars – which is true, absolutely – but it’s not exactly an excuse for something like this. The fact of the matter is that if a trucker knows he needs extra time and space to slow down for potential emergencies (or cars turning left), then they need to proactively keep a safe distance. It’s just common sense, but you’d be surprised how often truckers don’t follow it.
— Grossman Law Offices
