January 5th, 2011 | 
Author: DENHAM SPRINGS, LA – Two separate rollover truck accidents happened early Wednesday morning, December 15, on the same stretch of highway in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. The two incidents occurred on eastbound Interstate 12 as it passes through Denham Springs, LA. One of the overturns spilled part of its chemical cargo, forcing police to reduce traffic to one lane. The truck accidents occurred on the eastern edge of the Baton Rouge metro region in the far southeast part of Louisiana, about 198 miles east of Beaumont, Texas and about 150 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi.
Just after midnight on Wednesday an unidentified truck driver was driving a semi tanker truck through Livingston Parish, LA, going east on Interstate 12. The tanker of the 18 wheeler was filled with several thousand gallons of gasoline. The company that owns the semi truck and the destination of the driver was not released.
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As the tanker truck was just east of the Amite River Bridge in Denham Springs, LA, the driver lost control of the semi for unknown reasons. The semi tanker slammed into the guardrail running alongside the highway, left the interstate and flipped over onto its side. The force of the truck accident broke open the tanker section, spilling an unspecified amount of gas.
Officers with the Denham Springs Police Department responded to the crash site and helped direct traffic so emergency vehicles had access to the scene. The driver was reportedly able to escape the cab of his tanker and was not injured in the rollover truck accident. Louisiana State Police also came to the site and their hazardous materials team worked to clean-up the spilled gasoline. A crew used a heavy duty tow truck to get the tanker back up on its wheels and off the interstate.
Officers reconstructed the crash but it is not known if the driver will be charged for the truck accident.
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After several hours the crash site was cleared when the second truck accident occurred. At about 3:00 a.m. Wednesday morning the driver of a tandem tractor trailer was eastbound on I-12, coming up on the same area where the first crash happened. The two trailer sections of the semi were carrying chemicals and other corrosive materials used in painting. The truck had the logo for Con-way Freight on its trailers. Con-way Freight’s corporate office is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The second truck driver had just crossed over the Amite River Bridge when he lost control of his 18 wheeler in almost the same spot as the first rollover truck accident. The tractor trailer went off the right side of the interstate and plunged down the embankment. The trailer sections of the truck were damaged as they rolled down the incline, and some of the cargo of chemicals spilled out onto the hillside. One of the trailers rolled over on its side.
Police and emergency personnel once again rushed to the site. The driver of the tractor trailer was injured in the truck accident and had to be helped from the cab section. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he is being treated for injuries to one of his legs.
Highway crews and the state haz-mat team were brought back to the interstate and spent several more hours cleaning up the crash site. Police later reduced eastbound I-12 to one lane and diverted traffic around the truck accident scene while a team repaired the highway guardrail damaged in the rollover crash.
Officers inspecting the second incident interviewed the driver after the truck accident. The driver allegedly told police that he had fallen asleep just before the crash. He was cited for Careless Operation of a Vehicle.
According to authorities the area where the two truck accidents occurred is somewhat notorious for rollover crashes. Seven semi trailers have flipped over at this part of the interstate in just the past six weeks. While the second crash on Wednesday morning was apparently caused by driver error, some believe that the area should be investigated. Traffic engineers should study the design of the road and try to determine why there are so many truck accidents at this spot on the interstate.
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 or bus, tell them to immediately contact a qualified truck accident lawyer for advice. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers. Visit our Louisiana truck accident lawyer page or call 800.773.6770.
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