January 7th, 2011 | 
Author: EUCLID, OH – The driver of a semi trailer was hurt in a rollover truck accident Saturday afternoon, December 18, on a highway in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The single vehicle crash happened as the truck driver was westbound on Interstate 90, near the city of Euclid, OH. The accident area is on the northeast edge of the Cleveland metro region near the shores of Lake Erie, about 184 miles north of Parkersburg, West Virginia and about 91 miles southwest of Erie, Pennsylvania.
On Saturday afternoon an unidentified man was driving a semi trailer truck through north Ohio. The driver was carrying a load of cardboard boxes and paper products described by one police officer as “heavy and dense”. The driver was westbound on Interstate 90 when the truck accident occurred, but his exact destination is not known.
The weather on Saturday was sunny and clear at the time of the truck accident however the highway was slick in spots which may have been a factor in the rollover crash.
Just before 1:00 p.m. Saturday the semi driver had reached the eastern edge of the Cleveland metro region, still traveling in the westbound lanes of I-90. He was near the city of Euclid when he suddenly lost control of the tractor trailer near the juncture with Ohio State Route 2. The 18 wheeler slammed into a guardrail running alongside the traffic lanes. The force of the truck accident made the tractor trailer go off balance and flip over onto its right, passenger side. No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.
The semi driver was thrown from the cab section of his truck, and it is believed he fell in an area next to the interstate. Euclid Fire Department rescue workers rushed to the scene and began to give aid to the driver. A medical helicopter was brought to the site of the truck accident and airlifted the driver to a nearby hospital. Authorities have not released the name of the driver or the extent of his injuries but it is believed he sustained serious injuries when he was thrown from the truck.
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The overturned semi trailer landed across several lanes of the highway and police had to shut down two lanes of westbound traffic for most of the day. Drivers were diverted around the truck accident site and many were forced to take secondary routes before being allowed back onto I-90.
State highway crews spent the rest of the day and into the evening clearing the collision site so that the lanes could be reopened. One official explained that the cardboard boxes and paper products had to be offloaded from the disabled semi by hand, which is why Saturday’s clean-up job took so long. Once the workers emptied the trailer section a heavy duty tow truck pulled the flipped semi back on its wheels and hauled it off the highway. The lanes were cleared and reopened to traffic at around 10:00 p.m. Saturday night, more than 8 hours after the overturn truck accident occurred.
Ohio State Police and officers with the Euclid Department conducted a reconstruction of the single vehicle collision. One theory is that the cargo of heavy paper products shifted inside the trailer section and threw the semi off balance. The truck accident could also have been caused by excessive speed or slippery road conditions, which could make it difficult for the driver to keep the tractor trailer on the interstate.
No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.
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 Cleveland OH truck accident lawyer page or call 800.773.6770.
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