Truck Accident Lawyer News

BETTENDORF, IA – A pedestrian was killed when he was hit by a semi trailer truck late Sunday afternoon on a highway in Scott County, Iowa. The fatal truck accident occurred on Interstate 80 near the quad city of Bettendorf, IA and would shut down the highway for about two hours. The accident area is in the far southeastern region of Iowa near the border with Illinois, about 59 miles east of Iowa City, IA and about 25 miles west of Geneseo, Illinois.

On Sunday afternoon, November 28, 43 year old truck driver Julio C. Villalpando of Davenport, IA was driving a semi tractor trailer east on Interstate 80, traveling through Scott County, IA. It is not known if the driver was carrying a cargo at the time of the truck accident or where he was headed.

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The truck accident occurred at about 4:40 p.m. Sunday afternoon as the 18 wheeler was moving through the eastern Iowa city of Bettendorf, between the interstate exits for Middle Road and U.S. Highway 67. When the 18 wheeler drove near Mile Marker 302 a pedestrian suddenly walked onto the interstate for unknown reasons, directly into the path of the eastbound semi trailer truck. The truck driver did not have enough time or space to avoid an accident and the semi plowed into the man, who was later identified as 57 year old Thomas C. Bartos of Naperville, Illinois.

No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

Local emergency personnel from Bettendorf rushed to the site of the single vehicle collision. Unfortunately the pedestrian, Mr. Bartos, was fatally injured in the truck accident and was pronounced dead at the scene. Paramedics believe that the victim likely died instantly after being hit by the tractor trailer.

The driver of the semi trailer was able to get out of his rig and was not injured in the truck accident. It is not known if there was any damage to the semi truck and it is believed Mr. Villalpando was able to drive the 18 wheeler from the crash site.

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Scott County Sheriff’s Department officers also responded to the deadly collision and shut down a section of the interstate’s eastbound lanes around the truck accident scene. Drivers in the eastbound lanes of I-80 were diverted to southbound Interstate 74, which took them south of the crash site. They then could take Route 81 east to north Route 82 and then get back on I-80 in the city of Geneseo, Illinois. There were also some local secondary roads which would get drivers back onto the interstate.

All eastbound lanes of I-80 were finally reopened shortly before 7:00 p.m. Sunday evening, about two hours after the fatal truck accident.

Investigators with Scott County and the Iowa State Patrol reconstructed the deadly incident between the semi trailer and the pedestrian victim. At this point they have not released any information they may have on why Mr. Bartos was on the interstate late Sunday evening, just after sunset when visibility would be diminished for drivers on the highway. There were no reports of stalled vehicles on the highway and officials are trying to determine why the man was walking on I-80.

At this time it is likely that the semi driver, Mr. Villalpando, will not be charged in the deadly truck accident. There were no statements from police indicating that the truck driver did anything wrong to cause the fatal crash.

The truck accident investigation remains open.

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

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