Unsecured loads on commercial trucks and trailers can cause accidents, injuries, and deaths. After they spill out onto the roadway, other vehicles can collide with them, or while veering out of the way, they may cause accidents with other vehicles.
An unsecured load can be solid, like a piece of construction equipment poorly tied to a trailer. It can also be a liquid spilling out of a tanker truck, like water, oil, or chemicals, which can cause vehicles to lose traction and control. It can also include the leak of human waste, which happened on I-95 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in July.
Slip, Sliding Away
You can’t make this sh*t up.
Connecticut State Police Troopers were called to the scene at around 10:33 p.m. on July 17 after a report of a large semi-truck spilling a substance onto the highway from its trailer, causing multiple accidents on the slick and stinky roadway, according to the Hartford Courant.
The newspaper reports multiple crashes caused by the spill, but, maybe miraculously, only minor injuries. It’s not known if the spilled cargo caused any infections to those exposed to it:
- A motorcyclist lost control of his bike and fell into the roadway
- A Honda Civic drove over the sewage, the driver lost control, and the car collided with a concrete median barrier. It next crossed the lanes of traffic into the right shoulder and crashed into another concrete barrier
- The driver of a Toyota Avalon drove over the sewage, lost control, the car spun out, and hit a concrete barrier
- A Honda CR-V lost control and hit a concrete barrier on the right side of the highway
- The driver of another Honda Civic also lost control, then went into the barrier and rear-ended the CR-V
- A tractor-trailer driver lost control of the truck, which jackknifed and struck the driver’s side of a second tractor-trailer, which collided with a state police cruiser, which was pushed into another cruiser. Both of the police vehicles were unoccupied at the time
The leaking tractor-trailer exited the highway and went onto local streets. The driver, identified as Shaky Steevenson Joseph, was contacted by his employer to pull over and wait for the state police. They say he was aware of the leak. Joseph was arrested and charged with:
- Operation of a motor vehicle with an unsecured load
- Reckless driving
- 12 counts of first-degree reckless endangerment
I-95, the main highway running the distance of the country’s East coast, closed for about three hours so state police could investigate the accidents and the area could be cleaned up.
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Who’s Responsible for an Unsecured Load Vehicle Accident?
It all depends on the facts of the case. Problems with unsecured loads aren’t limited to commercial trucks. It could be debris or sheetrock falling off the back of a pickup. Someone may try to drive home with something too big to fit in the trunk, so the lid’s left open. In both cases, the driver is responsible for putting a reasonably safe vehicle on the road.
In a commercial truck situation, it’s more complicated. Depending on what went wrong and why, many parties could be liable in a personal injury case. In the Bridgeport case:
- If the driver knew the tanker leaked before he started driving, he should’ve never taken the trip. If he learned of it while driving, he should’ve pulled over
- Whoever loaded the tanker or owned it may be responsible, especially if they knew this was a problem
- Whoever built and sold the tanker may be liable if an equipment defect caused the leak
If you’re involved in one of these accidents, you must contact us as soon as possible. The accident should be investigated as quickly as possible so evidence isn’t lost, we can talk to people before memories fade and find witnesses who may provide valuable evidence.
Are You Injured Because of an Unsecured Load Accident?
If you have questions about your rights to compensation for injuries suffered in an accident and how we can protect them, call The Fleck Firm at (270) 446-7000 to schedule a free consultation. We’ll discuss your situation, how Kentucky law may apply, and what you should do next. Insurance companies have lawyers. You should have one, too.
