Fiery New Jersey 18-Wheeler Accident Kills Five People
In New Jersey, a multi-vehicle accident set off by an 18-wheeler left five people dead.
According to reports, the 18-wheeler struck a Buick LeSabre on the New Jersey Turnpike, sending the car crashing into a Jeep; the Buick immediately burst into flames. The occupants of the Buick, two married couples from Passaic and Kearny Counties in North Jersey and another woman, were killed. The three occupants of the Jeep were injured. The crash involved 10 vehicles in all, no other injuries were reported. The 18-wheeler driver, who did not sustain injuries, could possibly face charges.
The accident resulted in severe traffic delays in the area and on the turnpike, which is one of the busiest highways in the country. Investigations are ongoing.
This is an example of the often devastating aftermath of an accident involving an 18-wheeler. Often, motorists involved in such big rig crashes can do very little to avoid a collision. We will have to wait for the results of the investigation to learn why the tractor trailer driver was unable to stop in time to avoid the Buick. Investigators will look into whether the tractor trailer driver was speeding or tailgating the car.
As truck accident lawyers often see in accidents involving large tractor trailers, it is the motorist or the occupants of the passenger vehicle who suffer the most serious injuries. 18-wheelers can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and the impact of a vehicle that size crashing into a small passenger car can be tremendous. Even when there are survivors, injuries resulting from such accidents can be catastrophic.
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Any truck accident that involves fatalities, serious injuries, or the 18-wheeler being towed includes drug and alcohol tests as part of the investigation. The blood alcohol limit allowed for truck drivers is lower than that of passenger vehicle drivers. While the blood alcohol level for the driver of a passenger vehicle is 0.08 percent, for an 18-wheeler driver, it is 0.04 percent. 
Residents near the Indian Land rural road, where the accident took place, insist that the road is particularly risky for speeding big rigs and cars. They claim there is very little patrolling on the road, which results in motorists and 18-wheeler drivers speeding and breaking traffic rules, with sometimes disastrous consequences. However, state troopers have a different story to tell. According to them, highway 75, where the wood chip 18-wheeler accident took place, is no more dangerous than any other road. In fact, it is not in the top 25 on the list of Lancaster County's most dangerous roads. Troopers are placed in heaviest concentration on roads that have a high number of serious or fatal accidents.
At least 4 students were rushed to the East Texas Medical Center - Jacksonville and a total of 15 students were taken to other hospitals in the area. There were a total of 29 children on the bus, all between ten and twelve years of age. The 18-wheeler driver was ticketed for failure to control speed.
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For instance, driving in a construction zone requires slower speeds than normal. This is because an 18-wheeler takes much longer to come to a complete stop after the brakes are applied than passenger vehicles. Also, construction work on the highway provides vehicles with a smaller and more confined space to drive. It is important for drivers to operate their vehicles carefully when in such confined spaces.
Gonzalez, who was on his way from Jacksonville to Groveland, later admitted to investigators that he was on his cell phone just before the accident. However, he failed to specify when he hung up the phone or if he hung it up at all. Investigators believe he may have been on the phone at the time of the accident. In addition, he had been traveling for many hours just before the crash.
Following the accident, another big rig crashed into a Ford Explorer just a few hours later on the same highway. The driver of the Ford Explorer, an Augusta resident, was seriously injured. The tractor trailer also slammed into two other vehicles, leaving two people with injuries. The driver of that tractor trailer, Sean Cornelius Johnson, was charged with following too closely.
Driving classes for teens do not normally include tips on how to be safe when sharing the road with big rigs that can reach 53 feet in length and up to 80,000 pounds in weight. Teaching these teens that an 18-wheeler driver may face driving challenges that can impact other vehicles on the road is extremely important. For instance, apart from .jpg)
Meanwhile, the woman who miraculously escaped injuries, Zoma Ramirez, is undergoing a CT scan to rule out the presence of internal injuries after the accident. The fact that Dynasty Trucking had a similar accident before does not speak well of the company's operating procedures. A complete investigation will reveal more about procedure violations at the company that could have contributed to the 18 wheeler-accident..jpg)
The driver of the tractor trailer, Texas resident Richard Widmier, was arrested. He faces charges of third degree assault, criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving, and failing to provide proof of insurance.
FBI agents stumbled on the connection about five years ago during a case involving a series of murders on highways in several states. Those murders were ultimately traced to an 18-wheeler driver. Soon after, the agency established the "Highway Serial Killing Initiative’’ to monitor suspected truck drivers. The FBI currently has a database of dozens of truckers who have been either charged with or suspected of murder or rape. More than 500 victims, mostly female prostitutes, have been murdered near highways..jpg)
Black was shaken, but escaped without any injuries. The trailer's mulch spilled out onto the overpass, covering most of it. Blood alcohol tests were conducted to determine Black’s intoxication levels at the time of accident; he was charged with driving while intoxicated. 
It would prevent both interstate highways and national highways from being used by triple trailers, although exemptions would be made for firefighting units and the like.
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It is very difficult for overworked inspection officers to verify a certificate, which means that possibly thousands of drivers are able to slip through the cracks with phony medical certificates. Fake certificates are ridiculously easy to obtain. All a driver has to do is download a blank certificate from the internet, fill it out, and sign it himself, and voila! He has a medical certificate that confirms he is fit to drive. This kind of falsification is a serious problem, and one that places drivers of smaller vehicles at risk of injury. 
According to Leach, it is very important for emergency rescue personnel to be able to work with the kind of complex extrication equipment used in large-truck accident rescue. Serious accidents involving 18-wheelers are less frequent than those involving passenger cars; this means rescue personnel often has less practice with the complex extrication equipment and processes used. If used properly, the equipment and procedures can save precious lives. The program includes 24 hours of training and aims to cut down on the amount of time taken to rescue victims of an 18-wheeler accident from wreckage. The program also involves the participation of towing and recovery personnel and rescue equipment companies. 
Ken Truman works for Con-Way Freight Company, which currently employs 1,200 drivers. According to management, completing two million miles without being involved in a single accident is a key milestone in the industry. Truman's two million miles is equivalent to traveling to the moon and back 9 times.
The 18-wheeler was carrying 41,000 pounds of cotton and yarn. The truck collided with a set of barrels, leading to a shift in the weight of the trailer. The driver, Edward James Clements Jr., lost control of the tractor trailer and skidded more than 300 feet before flipping over. The 18-wheeler then continued to skid another 100 feet after overturning before it came to a stop. Clements was taken to the hospital after complaining of back pain.
According to TxDOT officers at the scene, the presence of cable barriers prevented the bus and the truck from crossing over onto the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 after the crash. If the two vehicles had indeed crossed over into the eastbound lanes they would have, most likely, collided with other vehicles, increasing the number of and severity of injuries..jpg)
The multi-vehicle collision on Interstate 5 began when an 18-wheeler was traveling through a tunnel. As the driver traveled at more than 65 mph, the truck jackknifed, crashing into a wall. Vehicles behind the truck were able to slow down and avoid hitting the 18-wheeler. Further down the tunnel, however, other big rigs, pickup trucks, and cars were not as lucky. Several vehicles crashed into one another and fuel from large trucks set off a raging fire. Motorists were forced to abandon their cars and run for safety. The tunnel instantly became an inferno, killing 3 people. One was a 6-year-old boy who managed to survive the crash, but burned to death. In all, the accident included 33 trucks, 26 of which were consumed by flames.