The physics of a truck accident

If you drive southwest from Akron on I-71 for about three hours, you will come to Turtlecreek Township, a town in between Dayton and Cincinnati. It’s there on the interstate that a 51-year-old man lost his life in a violent collision with a tractor-trailer.

The Lebanon man was behind the wheel of a commercial van when traffic slowed due to a lane closure. Construction on a bridge spanning the Little Miami River was slowing mid-morning traffic. The van was behind a semitrailer that also slowed down. It was then that another tractor-trailer slammed into the back of the van with enough force to knock the much smaller vehicle off the highway.

Another semi coming upon the accident swerved left to miss the crash but hit two other semis.

According to a news report, the drivers of the three tractor-trailers were all unhurt. Only the unfortunate man in the commercial van was harmed, the Ohio Highway Patrol said. He will never get to see his family again or enjoy even another day of his life in Lebanon.

Physics worked against him. A full-sized commercial van fully loaded weighs about 10,000 pounds, according to Ford, whereas a full-sized, fully loaded tractor-trailer weighs 80,000 pounds. The math was stacked against the van driver.

Now investigators will try to figure out why the big rig’s driver didn’t slow with the rest of traffic. In similar cases, the trucker is fatigued and his reflexes and thought processes are slowed; or he’s distracted by electronics in his cab; or he was speeding. There are many factors investigators have to examine as they deconstruct a tragedy.

We wish the family well as they try to come to grips with this horrific loss. Experienced truck accident attorneys help families in similar situations deal with the severe financial consequences of such a loss as they struggle with the deep emotional consequences of losing a loved one.