Five Semi Rollover Accidents in July is Five Too Many

Bret Hanna

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 421

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

Utah saw five semi rollover accidents during a one week period in July and most were avoidable. In chronological order, the accidents were:

1. July 9th - a Cadillac ran into a semi on Interstate 80 in the construction zone near 700 East and was almost pushed over the concrete barrier.
2. July 11th - a truck driver on Interstate 80 west of Salt Lake City fell asleep at the wheel. He woke up as he left the pavement but overcorrected and rolled.
3. July 12th - brakes on a truck being driven in Cedar Canyon outside of Cedar City overheated and failed. The truck rolled as a result.
4. July 13th - a FedEx truck driver going too fast in a construction zone on I-215 rolled one of his trailers.
5. July 16th - a truck driver was trying to beat a red light as he turned left from Bangerter Highway onto 12600 South. He was going too fast as he made the turn and he rolled the two belly dump trailers he was pulling.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in any of these accidents but it appears that only the July 9th accident may have been caused by something other than truck driver error.

The July 11th accident was the result of drowsy driving. This is a plague that can afflict all drivers, but it is one that hits professional drivers who make their living by miles driven harder than the rest. All drivers need to have proper rest before getting behind the wheel. The July 12th accident was the result of driver error in braking and/or brake system failure, which is a situation that should have been prevented by proper training and/or routine safety inspections. The last two were caused by speed and the remedy for that is simple - slow down.

Unfortunately, senseless accidents like those mentioned here will continue to happen. So, the best advice for the average motorist is to be aware of your surroundings and be proactive in getting out of the way if you can when one is unfolding.