Seattle, Washington – Truck Driver Falls Asleep, Causes Crash

Seattle, Washington (April 7, 2019) – A truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel caused his semi-truck to crash on early Sunday Morning at the Interstate 5 near South Andover Street. The driver sustained minor injuries, but was able to get himself out of the vehicle after the accident. The semi-truck was pulling two trailers along while traveling northbound when the driver lost control and the vehicle went through the center divider. One of the trailers landed on its side in the northbound lanes, while the cab and the other trailer went into the southbound lanes, crashing a light pole in the process. The Washington State Patrol troopers are looking into the cause of the driver’s fatigue. In addition, the Seattle Fire Department is also investigating a fuel leak from one of the trucks.

The crash blocked all lanes except one on southbound Interstate 5 just south of West Seattle Bridge. It also blocked two left lanes on the northbound Interstate 5 at the on-ramp to Columbia Way, with backups reaching 2 miles.

About Truck Accidents

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. Truck accidents can have many causes, and due to the size and road performance of these vehicles, the involvement of one in an accident can lead to heavy losses. Unlike other vehicles, truck accidents can involve many people other than the driver, such as the owner of the truck, the manufacturer of parts, the company which handles it, and so on and so forth. Truck accidents also have a varied list of causes, and like in this case, driver fatigue is one of them.

This type of accident where the vehicle has landed on their side can be classified under rollover accident, a hazardous situation where a vehicle turns onto its side or roof. This type of accident usually happens after trying to turn on high speeds. Injuries from these accidents can include conditions as serious as brain and spinal injury. Whether operating a truck or seeing one on the road, all drivers must follow regulations to avoid incurring damages and injuries to themselves and people around them.

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