It happened again
On behalf of Steven Crell of Steve Crell Law posted in Truck Accidents on Wednesday, October 14, 2015.
They happen with alarming regularity. The causes are many, but too often, they are the result of some type of distraction, such as fatigue, alcohol, texting or by the use of other electronic devices. The results are always shocking and often catastrophic. Ironically, they seem to be happening more frequently, on what are typically the safest roads to drive.
Interstate highways are generally quite safe. I-70, passing through Indianapolis, crosses the nation from Utah to the East Coast. These roads, modeled on Germany’s Autobahn, are typically two or more lanes in each direction, with wide shoulders, gentle hills, gradual curves, no stoplights and access is almost always controlled by an interchange.
But our interstate highway system is old, and much of it must be rebuilt, repaired or expanded. And this means lots of orange barrels, narrowed lanes, and lane changes. It also means congestion.
And that can be deadly.
Because if a driver is distracted and not paying attention to the road ahead, they may still be travelling at 70 miles per hour when, too late, they realize the traffic has slowed in front of them as they attempt to brake.
A 3-year-old died Saturday in such an accident on I-70 just east of Indianapolis, when a pickup truck slammed into the rear of a passenger car. The driver of the truck claimed he did not see traffic slowing. The child’s mother and brother were airlifted to hospitals in Indianapolis with serious injuries. While at the time of the news report he hadn’t been charged in the deadly crash, the Sherriff’s office is investigating his phone records to see if he was on the phone at the time of the crash.
With all of the construction on these and other roads, all drivers must recognize that every trip could involve congested, slow moving or stopped traffic. These crashes are inexcusable and should never happen. If we all pay attention, they won’t.
Source: thestarpress.com, “Child in I-70 fatality identified,” Seth Slabaugh, October 11, 2015
