A 22-year-old boy was driving down I-696 when he crashed into the back of a semi truck. The boy’s car slid underneath the trailer, killing him on impact. Traffic was built up for miles and the driver of the car was rushed to hospital.
Of course, this is more bad publicity for truckers. Many news sites, like this article by Fox Detroit titled “Fatal crash with semi truck that killed driver, 22, raise safety questions”, are blaming the trucking industry for their lack in adequate safety protocol.
One lawyer, Kevin Seiferheld, even went as far as to say, “If the cars aren’t able to go underneath the trucks, we don’t have these types of fatalities”. He believes trucking companies should be mandated to install safety guard rails to prevent vehicles from sliding under the truck.
As sad as it is to see a life lost on the road, especially in a crash involving a semi truck, the way the media twists the story in order to place blame on a truck driver is appalling.
Here’s a suggestion that may save as many if not more lives than installing guard rails: teach car drivers that trucks on the road are significantly bigger and to exercise caution when driving near one, especially at high speeds.