Truck Accident Lawyer News

LEBANON, IN – Two semi trailer trucks collided and burst into flames Monday afternoon in a truck accident in Boone County, Indiana. The rear-end crash happened on southbound Interstate 65 near the exit for State Route 39, just south of the town of Lebanon. The truck accident area is in the central part of the state, just northwest of Indianapolis, about 65 miles east of Danville, Illinois and about 124 miles west of Greenville, Ohio.

On Monday afternoon, November 1, a semi trailer truck was traveling south on Interstate 65 through Boone County, IN when the rig had an unknown mechanical failure. The 18 wheeler was hauling a load of car parts at the time, but it is not known what company owns the tractor trailer. The unidentified truck driver pulled the semi trailer off the highway and onto the shoulder near the exit for State Route 39. Two men were working to repair the disabled semi trailer, one inside the cab section and the other outside standing on the truck’s step.

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The truck accident happened shortly before 4:00 p.m. Monday afternoon as a second southbound semi trailer approached the stalled tractor trailer on the interstate. The southbound semi was carrying a cargo of animal feed in 50 pound bags and had the logo for Con-way Truckload on the side of its trailer. Con-way is an international trucking company based in Joplin, Missouri.

The second 18 wheeler was also having some kind of mechanical problem and the rig was giving off smoke that hampered the driver’s visibility. The driver was moving his semi off the interstate and, because of the smoke, reportedly did not see the disabled semi already on the shoulder and slammed into the truck’s back section. The force of the rear end truck accident smashed in the back trailer of the stalled semi and a fire erupted, quickly engulfing both 18 wheelers in flames. The grass along the interstate also caught on fire and the air was filled with plumes of thick, black smoke.

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Boone County firefighters rushed to the scene of the truck accident and battled the two burning semis and the grass fire. The fire would ultimately destroy the cab section of the second semi and badly burn the trailer sections of both semi trucks.

Local rescue personnel also responded to the scene of the fiery truck accident and helped treat the victims at the crash site. The two men who had been working on the disabled truck sustained moderate, non life threatening injuries in the crash. They were stabilized and then transported by ambulance to Witham Hospital in Lebanon.

The unidentified driver of the second semi was not injured in the truck accident.

Indiana State Police closed several traffic lanes on I-65 in both directions between Indiana 32 and Indiana 39 while fire crews battled the flames and paramedics treated the victims. Once the fires from the trucks and grass were extinguished, a group from the Indiana State Environmental Protection Department offloaded the remaining diesel fuel from one of the crashed semi trucks. Other highway crews worked to clear the debris from the truck accident scene and haul the burnt wreckage of the two trailer trucks off the interstate.

Northbound interstate lanes reopened at some point but the southbound lanes remained closed for the rest of the day, impacting afternoon commuter traffic for hours after the truck accident. One southbound lane was finally opened at about 6:30 p.m. Monday evening while the highway crews continued to work.

At this point it is unclear if either of the truck drivers will be cited for the incident. Authorities have performed a reconstruction of the truck accident but have not made an official statement regarding their findings. Charges could be brought in the future once the investigation of the truck accident is completed.

For more information about Indiana trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims’ rights, contact truck accident lawyers Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert truck accident advice. Visit our IN truck accident lawyer page for more information about Indiana truck accidents. For a free initial consultation, talk to a truck accident attorney at 1.800.773.6770.

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