When an 18-wheeler hauling gasoline overturned in Monroe, Louisiana, thereby shutting down northbound traffic lanes on Highway 165, there was relief that it was not worse.
The results of the fuel truck accident were that the driver was taken to the hospital, traffic was affected by lane closures and a fuel leak had to be treated. While the overturned truck’s fuel load was transferred to another truck, highway traffic was diverted and two ramps were closed for the time-consuming process.
The accident resulted in injury to the driver and therefore it is important that the cause of the accident is identified. If improper maintenance resulted in the overturning of the truck, the driver may be able to seek recourse from the trucking company.
Additionally, in a worst-case scenario, the overturned gasoline truck could have hit other vehicles or caused other vehicles to collide in efforts by the drivers to avoid the accident. The truck’s fuel load spill could have caught fire, which also could have caused other vehicles to crash due to drivers’ efforts to avoid the flames. Smoke from said fire could also have caused impairment to the ability of drivers to see properly, resulting in crashes. That one fuel truck overturn could have resulted in a multi-vehicle pileup.
It is irrefutable that fatalities and injuries could have resulted from this accident and have resulted from similar tractor-trailer accidents. In such instances, victims and their families have legal recourse, which begins with a thorough truck accident investigation in order to help establish causation. Compensation could be sought to cover monetary losses due to injuries suffered or wrongful death. Such recompense would take into account the current as well as the future needs of the truck wreck victims.
Source: KNOE News, “TRAFFIC ALERT: Truck wreck to cause Hwy. 165 North closure,” Brandon Rodgers, April 11, 2014
