Truck Accident Lawyer News

LOUISVILLE, KY – A semi driver may be charged after a truck accident early Thursday morning, December 30, in Oldham County, Kentucky left his 18 wheeler overturned and closed a highway for most of the day. The truck driver allegedly fell asleep while driving his tractor trailer on Interstate 71 near the city of Louisville. The truck accident occurred in the far north part of the state near the Indiana border, about 92 miles southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio and about 137 miles east of Evansville, Indiana.

Early Thursday morning an unidentified truck driver was driving a semi tractor trailer on Interstate 71. There was also one passenger in the cab at the time of the truck accident. The driver was carrying a cargo of several hundred boxes of medical supplies at the time of the crash, but his destination is not known. The trailer section had the logo of Xtra, a truck leasing company based in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Shortly before 4:30 a.m. Thursday, the semi trailer truck had just entered into Oldham County at the northern edge of Louisville when the driver lost control of the 18 wheeler near mile marker 11.5. The region had experienced precipitation overnight leaving roadways wet and slippery in spots, which may have been a factor in the early morning truck accident.

According to reports, the semi trailer crashed, crossed over the highway median and then flipped over onto its left side. The tractor trailer ended up facing the wrong direction on the highway after the single vehicle truck accident, partially blocking the right southbound traffic lane and the highway shoulder.

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

Emergency personnel from several local departments rushed to the scene of the overturned semi truck and helped the driver and passenger get out of the cab section. They were treated for minor injuries at the truck accident site. One of the victims required additional treatment and was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

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State and local police were at the crash site, rerouting traffic through a single lane around the overturned semi trailer. A highway crew worked the morning and most of the afternoon to clear the truck accident scene. The clean-up took longer than expected because the first attempts to right the truck caused the bed of the trailer section to collapse. The crew was unable to upright the flipped semi trailer without emptying out the cargo and a second tractor trailer was brought to the scene. The crew spent hours offloading the boxes of medical supplies from the disabled truck and transferring them to the new truck. Once empty the overturned semi was pulled upright and towed off the highway.

All southbound lanes of I-70 were open by 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, about 11 hours after the initial truck accident.

Police investigating the incident believe that the unidentified truck driver may have fallen asleep while driving. They have not indicated if drugs or alcohol are a factor in the truck accident but it is believed the driver was given the required toxicology screenings after the crash. The truck driver is facing several charges if it is proved that he was asleep or under the influence at the time of the crash.

The truck accident remains under investigation.

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

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