GREENWICH, OH – A semi trailer truck burst into flames Thursday, July 1, after setting off a chain reaction truck accident on a highway in Huron County, Ohio. The multi vehicle collision occurred as traffic was stalled at a construction area on Ohio 13 on the borderline between Huron and Richland Counties near the city of Greenwich. The truck accident area is in the north central section of the state about 104 miles west of Youngstown, OH and about 86 miles southeast of Toledo, OH.
At around 11:50 a.m. Thursday nine vehicles were stopped in a northbound lane of Ohio 13 at Baseline Road in Huron County, OH. The vehicles were stopped due to a road paving project. A semi trailer truck carrying a load of food products and driven by 50 year old John S. Fahrni of Navarre, OH came up upon the stopped vehicles but was traveling too fast to avoid a collision.
The semi tractor trailer slammed into the back vehicle in the line which set off a chain reaction, with each vehicle crashing into the vehicle in front of it on the line. The semi truck hit six of the nine stopped vehicles. After colliding with the stopped vehicles, the semi tractor trailer went off the road on the right side and then went into a field along the highway. The tractor trailer finally came to a rest and then exploded into flames.
Local fire teams and emergency personnel responded to the scene of the truck accident. While firefighters fought the flames shooting off the trailer truck, EMTs treated the victims of the multi vehicle collision. The truck driver sustained serious injuries in the truck accident and was stabilized at the site before being transported to Mansfield MedCentral Hospital in Mansfield, OH.
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According to the Ohio State Patrol at least 15 other people were injured in the truck accident and two victims were taken by Life Flight medical helicopters to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, OH.
OSP officers shut down a section of northbound Ohio 13 while the emergency teams worked and officers conducted a reconstruction of the truck accident. Highway crews were at the site to clear the debris off the roadway and removed the disabled vehicles from the traffic lanes. A large wrecker was brought in to remove the burnt wreckage of the semi tractor truck.
Investigators have not determined why the semi tractor truck did not stop before slamming into the line of stopped vehicles. No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about Ohio trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact nationwide truck accident lawyers Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert advice. For a free initial consultation, talk to an OH truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.