LaPorte County, IN — Two people were hospitalized after being involved in an accident with a semi-truck that jackknifed in LaPorte County, Indiana, on Thursday, February 19, 2015. The accident took place on Interstate 94, around noon.
Police identified Jan Hanna as the driver of a Volvo semi that lost control and began sliding across all of the interstate’s eastbound lanes and crash into the concrete median.
James Ashley and his wife, Amy, were traveling in the middle lane at the time and were hit by the truck’s swinging trailer. which wedged their vehicle beneath it.
The Ashleys were taken to Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Michigan. Hanna was cited by local police for failing to properly secure his load. The accident is still being investigated.
Approximate Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Truck drivers are held to a higher standard because they’re capable of causing so much damage with their vehicles with only a single mistake. Failing to properly secure a truck’s load can be a very big mistake, because one of the safety issues semis have been known to have is rolling over because what it’s hauling will shift, causing the trailer to become unbalanced and in some cases, tip over. Or causing the truck to jackknife, as we see here. For those wondering, yes, the trucking company can be held responsible for something like this. Although, as trucking companies are wont to do, they would be likely to fight it. Proving accidents like this take evidence, and that means a thorough investigation of the crime scene. The importance of something like this can’t really be understated.
— Grossman Law Offices