Renton, Washington – Semi Trailer Crashes with Van on I-405

Renton, Washington  (July 20, 2019) – A crash involving a semi trailer and a delivery van created a wreckage on the Interstate 405 at Northeast 30th Street on Saturday morning. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the scene.

The crash happened around 6 a.m. on Saturday. The circumstances of the crash has not been detailed, but because of the collision both vehicles were pushed off the highway and onto the slanted concrete surface under the bridge. This contact with the bridge also appears to have torn off the top and sides of the trailer. Because troopers were worried that the vehicles would tip over, the two right lanes were closed as the vehicles were removed and the bridge was inspected for damage. The lanes were reported to have reopened around 10 a.m.

About Vehicle Accidents

In 2017, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)  have reported a total of 120, 993 car accidents. Of those accidents, 525 were fatal ad 34, 311 were possible or suspected of injuries. On the other hand, the state of Washington’s  2015 Annual Collision Data Summary reported that 6,091 commercial vehicle or heavy trucks were involved in collisions in 2015. These crashes included 38 fatal collisions, 85 serious injury collisions, 1,352 minor injury collisions, 4,565 property damage collisions, and 51 unknown injury collisions.

Give the size and build difference between cars and trucks, collisions between the two often result in dangerous situations. Specifically, trucks can weigh 20-30 times more than passenger cars, and their height and greater ground clearance can cause smaller vehicles to be more easily toppled in car-truck accidents. Consequently, studies have proven that most deaths in large truck accidents are passenger vehicle occupants, who are more vulnerable in case of collision. However, in a 2013 study, most car-truck accidents are often caused by car drivers, with relation to driver errors. Regardless of which vehicle you are driving, one must always exercise caution on the road. With both cars and trucks, drivers must be responsible for making sure their vehicle is in a good condition and not prone to vehicle failure, and to always consider the road and weather conditions.

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