Semi Truck Accident in Houston, TX Snarls Beltway 8 Traffic

January 12th, 2012 |

HOUSTON, TX – A double trailer semi truck jackknifed and crashed on the Texas 8 Beltway in Houston, TX on Thursday, January 5, 2012 and tied up rush hour traffic for hours.

The rear trailer of a double trailer semi truck detached from the front trailer and semi tractor and wrapped around a light pole on Beltway 8 near JFK Blvd. in Houston, TX on January 5, 2012.

Houston is located in Harris County, Texas in the southeastern part of the state about 85 miles southwest of Beaumont, 51 miles northwest of Galveston and 14 miles northwest of Pasadena.

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The accident occurred just after 8:00 a.m. in rush hour traffic on the westbound Beltway 8 just before JFK Blvd. The 18 wheeler was pulling a double trailer when it was side-swiped by a passenger car.

Map showing location of a double trailer semi truck accident where the rear trailer separated from the cab and front trailer on the westbound Texas Beltway 8 just east of JFK Blvd. in Houston, TX.

The trucker hit his brakes hard, then jackknifed, spun around and tipped over, causing the rear trailer to come loose and cross over the top of the concrete median wall. The rear trailer crashed into a light pole in the center divider. It came to rest blocking the center lane.

The sheet metal skin of the rear trailer was literally peeled back like a sardine can by the light pole almost looking like it was impaled. The light pole was knocked out of service and had to be removed in order to free the wrecked trailer that was wrapped around it and allow the trailer to be removed.

The front trailer and cab came to rest laying cross-wise on its side blocking the right lanes of traffic. Houston TranStar shut down the freeway in both directions for about a mile from the scene of the accident.

An article in the Houston Chronicle website reported on the story:

One of a pair of trailers the big rig was pulling broke away from the truck and slammed into light poles in the center divider of the roadway, said Dinah Massie, spokeswoman for Houston TranStar. Massie said the other trailer toppled.

The big rig was operated by Con-Way Freight. One of the trailers was empty and the other was carrying paint products. The cleanup efforts were expected to take hours.

Traffic was diverted to the feeder roads but officials even stopped traffic there for a time because they were not sure if it was safe to travel on them.

One person was rushed to the Northwest Medical Center after the accident. It is believed that this was the big rig driver that was injured in the accident. Officials are not disclosing the name of the person who was hospitalized and there are no details on the extent of his injuries.

About 40 firefighters were dispatched to the scene along with Haz-Mat crews because the truck was hauling flammable materials.

Truck Accident Lawyer News is a truck accident and personal injury blog that publishes up to date truck accident and truck legal news from across the United States. Texas cities with a high incidence of truck accidents and vehicle collisions that result in severe personal injuries and even death include Houston, Pasadena, Beaumont and Galveston, to name a few.