A 48-year-old man was killed on January 11, 2016 in Huntington County on State Road 5. The accident happened at 1:30 pm near C.R. 100 South.
The pickup crossed the center line and collided with a semi truck. The driver was pinned in the pickup and died of his injuries. The driver of the semi truck was also injured and was taken to the hospital. The road was closed for hours. According to weather reports, light snow was falling at the time and the temperature was well below freezing. Police are investigating the accident.
One in ten deaths on America’s highways are caused by crashes involving a semi truck, and most of the deaths are in passenger vehicles that collide with the large trucks. Trucks weigh so much more than passenger vehicles, even large pickup trucks, and the difference in mass is simply too great.
In addition, loaded trucks can take up to 40% further than cars to stop, and even longer in poor conditions or on roads that are covered with snow, ice, or water. These trucks are supposed to be well maintained, and regulations state that drivers can only be on the road for 11 hours at a time, or 77 hours in a 7-day week.
