In our last post we discussed a truck accident that took the life of a driver. Just a week later, an eerily similar situation on the same interstate took the life of yet another semi-truck driver. It also sent a woman and three children to the hospital.
According to reports from the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the truck driver was heading northbound on Interstate 85 when he struck the back of a sport utility vehicle, causing the truck driver to lose control of his vehicle. The tractor-trailer then veered off the road and collided with several trees. The vehicle then turned onto its side and caught fire.
Police said the truck accident left the 53-year-old truck driver dead at the scene, although authorities initially had difficulty identifying his body. A spokesperson with the NCHP said the driver's body was badly burned in the truck crash, requiring investigators to verify his identify using dental records before publicly releasing his name and details.
Although the truck could be linked to the man, the spokesperson said that truck drivers employed by the same company frequently exchange vehicles. Due to the condition of the driver's body, an autopsy was unable to determine when precisely the man died. As such, the NCHP is unable to speculate on whether he died before or after the semi-truck caught fire.
The police report regarding the accident revealed the SUV remained on the road following the crash, but its 31-year-old female driver and the three children onboard were taken to a nearby hospital to receive medical treatment. They sustained injuries in the collision, but were determined to be non-life-threatening following treatment. All four victims were released from the hospital shortly after arrival.
Source: The Dispatch, "Troopers ID tractor-trailer driver in fatal accident," Darrick Igansiak, Oct. 19, 2011