A husband and wife and a family friend were killed when a semi-truck crossed into their lane of traffic and crashed into them, the Highway Patrol reported. This tragic accident is still under investigation, a probe that will include aspects that are particular to commercial trucking, a heavily regulated business with driver and equipment restrictions mandated for public safety.
The head-on tractor trailer crash happened Tuesday on U.S. Highway 4. Three of the couple’s children survived the wreck. Their friend who died was visiting from Poland. A lieutenant from the State Patrol wrote in an email to the Burlington Free Press that the children suffered injuries that were extensive and serious, but not believed to be life-threatening.
The driver of the 18-wheeler was from another state. Road conditions at the time of the 2:15 p.m. crash were wintery, raising the question of whether the semi truck was going too fast for conditions or if the driver became distracted. Another question investigators will seek to answer is whether the truck was safely equipped with good tires, proper brakes and a regulation-sized load. Other semi-trucks travelling on the Green Mountains highway did so safely under the same weather condtions.
