Truck Accident Lawyer News

CINCINNATI, OH – Three people were injured in a fiery truck accident Wednesday night, february 2, on a highway in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. A semi truck and a minivan collided on eastbound Interstate 275 near the juncture with Markley Road in the southeast part of the Cincinnati metro region. The truck accident area is in the southwest corner of Ohio, about 60 miles southeast of Richmond, Indiana and about 10 miles north of Covington, Kentucky.

On Wednesday evening 41 year old truck driver Leslie Gough of Sydney, Ohio was driving a 1996 Freightliner semi trailer truck through Hamilton County, OH. The 18 wheeler was carrying a load of plastic at the time of the truck accident. Information regarding Mr. Gough’s employer and destination was not released.

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At about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday evening the tractor trailer was on the southeast edge of the Cincinnati metro area, traveling east on I-275. Also in the eastbound lanes was 47 year old Chester Johnson of Williamsburg, OH, who was driving a 2003 Chevrolet minivan. One passenger was in the minivan when the truck accident occurred near the juncture with Markley Road, identified as 74 year old Robert Althaus of Batavia, OH.

According to reports, the Chevy van was in the right lane when the driver decided to move into the left lane, directly into the path of the Freightliner semi trailer. The truck driver began to brake and swerve to avoid hitting the minivan, but there was not enough time or space and the tractor trailer slammed into the back of the Chevy. The force of the truck accident threw the minivan off balance and the driver, Mr. Johnson, lost control of the vehicle. The Chevy slammed into the interstate bridge and flipped upside down. The minivan went off the road and skidded down the embankment on its rooftop. The Chevy then rolled and ended back up on its wheels on Markley Road, which runs under I-275.

The Freightliner semi trailer also went out of control after the truck accident and the tractor trailer crashed into the guardrail running along the edge of the intestate. The impact punctured at least one of the semi’s gas tanks and the diesel leaked out. Within seconds the fuel ignited and the 18 wheeler exploded into flames. The cargo of plastic caught on fire and the sky was quickly filled with black, pungent smoke.

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Witnesses to the truck accident reported seeing ignited fuel spilling across the eastbound lanes of I-275. At least one person at the scene described the semi fire as “massive”.

First responders quickly descended on the fiery crash site on I-275. Fire teams from several local departments battled the flames on the burning Freightliner which would take about three hours to extinguish. Paramedics at the truck accident scene rushed to aid the truck driver and the two victims in the Chevy down on Markley Road.

The truck driver suffered minor injuries and was transported to nearby Anderson Mercy Hospital. The two people in the Chevy van were also hurt in the truck accident and were treated at the scene before the Anderson Township Life Squad took them to University Hospital. The passenger, Mr. Altraus, suffered extensive injuries and was listed in critical condition. The driver, Mr. Johnson, was less severely hurt and was listed as stable.

The fiery truck accident brought traffic on eastbound I-275 to an immediate halt. Motorists were at a standstill as firefighters battled the burning truck and EMTs helped the victims. Police began to divert eastbound drivers into one of the westbound lanes of the interstate shortly after 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night. Part of Markley Road was also closed while crews cleared the wreckage of the minivan.

The Freightliner was completely destroyed and was left a burnt shell after the truck accident. The Chevy van was also destroyed in the crash and the roll down the highway embankment. The collision and fire damaged part of the I-275 interstate bridge. Ohio Department of Transportation engineers were brought out to inspect the structural soundness of the bridge and determine the needed repairs.

Some closures continued into Friday morning, more than a day after the fiery truck accident.

Authorities have reconstructed the truck accident but have not yet made a statement. They have confirmed that drugs and alcohol were not factors in the collision.

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

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