Truck Accident Lawyer News

SPRING VALLEY, MN – A tractor trailer truck crashed into a Minnesota house early Wednesday morning, on March 31, 2010, leaving the truck driver in serious condition. The truck accident happened south of Rochester, MN, on Highway 63 near Spring Valley in Fillmore County. The accident area is in the southeast section of the state, 227 miles east of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and 140 miles north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

At around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 31, 47 year old truck driver Barry Duncan of Illinois was headed north on Highway 63, hauling a thirty thousand pound cargo load of fireplaces. The truck driver lost control when he reportedly had severe chest pains and passed out behind the wheel of the semi trailer.

The out of control 18 wheeler truck drove off the highway and traveled on at about 30 MPH, hitting a power pole and just missing the side of a business before smashing into the residential home.

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The residents of the home, Terry Fetterly and Marilu Flick, were in their second floor bedrooms at the time of the truck accident. Mr. Fetterly was asleep in his room but Ms. Flick was awake and told authorities she could hear the truck coming right before the accident. She described it as a “rumbling noise” that kept getting louder right before the tractor trailer truck came crashing into their home.

The truck colliding into the house woke Mr. Fetterly, who described the moment as “Kind of like an earthquake.” The house shifted, glass shattered, and items fell from the walls.

The impact of the truck accident collapsed the second floor and created a huge hole in the side of the house where the 18 wheeler entered the structure. The tractor truck’s cab and the front section of the trailer were stuck in the home, buried under the wreckage of the building.

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Local emergency personnel rushed to the scene of the truck accident and worked to extricate the truck driver from his cab. Firefighters had to open up the top of the truck cab and lift the driver up through the roof. Once freed, Mr. Duncan was stabilized and then airlifted by medical helicopter to the St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. His condition was described as serious.

The driver apparently told officers he had chest pains and lost consciousness, and it is possible he had a heart attack right before the truck accident.

The two people in the house at the time of the truck accident were not injured. The interior staircase had been destroyed by the 18 wheeler, so Mr. Fetterly and Ms. Flick had to climb down on the truck’s trailer and then go to the back where firefighters had a ladder set up for them.

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Before slamming into the house, the semi truck shoved Ms. Flick’s car through the side of the garage. The truck accident also set off a gas leak and hit a power line, cutting off power for about 25% of Spring Valley.

The house was completely destroyed by the truck accident, and the residents were set up at a local hotel by the Red Cross.
Their six month old puppy was found frightened but uninjured in a closet.

Local police shut down a section of Highway 63 around the truck accident scene while emergency personnel helped the victims and highway crews worked to remove debris.

It is not known if charges will be brought, and the truck accident remains under investigation.

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Gordon Elias & Seely, LLP recommend that if you know anyone who has been injured or killed as the result of a commercial truck accident involving a semi truck, 18 wheeler, big rig, tractor trailer, dump truck or bus, tell them to immediately contact a qualified truck accident lawyer for advice. It is imperative to do this as soon as possible to ensure that evidence is preserved. For more information about Minnesota trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact expert nationwide truck accident attorneys Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP. For a free initial consultation, talk to a MN truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.

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