Posted in Car Accident,Distracted Driving,Personal Injury,Truck Wreck on December 23, 2014
Two Injured After Vehicle Struck Scorched Semi-Truck on I-40
A large semi-truck caught fire after wrecking in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, on Tuesday around 2:30 a.m. After the fire had been put out by emergency crews, another car struck the wreckage near mile marker 227 in Wilson County around 8 a.m.
According to a report by JRN.com, two people appeared to be seriously injured in the crash. However, Mt. Juliet police stated that the driver of the truck was not injured when his truck originally burst into flames during the early morning hours.
Fire crews say they are still unsure of what caused the blaze. The initial truck wreckage and fire—along with the vehicle striking the wreckage—caused the right lane of I-40 in Wilson County to remain blocked until around noon today, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Tips for Driving Near the Scene of an Accident
At Matt Hardin Law, our Nashville car accident lawyers know that the danger isn’t always over after an accident has occurred. In fact, many times accident scenes can become hazardous for other drivers as well. To protect your family when driving near the scene of an accident, do your best to follow these tips:
Rubbernecking, which is a common term for watching the aftermath of a traffic accident, is a form of distracted driving that often leads to fender benders and more serious car accidents. Although it can be tempting to see what happened in an accident near your vehicle on the highway, always keep your eyes on the road and watch for drivers in front of you who slam on their brakes or slow down erratically to view the accident themselves.
If you arrive on the scene of an accident right after it occurred and you want to offer assistance to the victims, make sure you pull your vehicle over as far away from traffic as possible. Stopping in or near traffic makes your vehicle another hazard for oncoming drivers to avoid and can lead to another serious accident.
Some crashes go far beyond a typical fender bender and can block entire lanes of traffic or create very hazardous circumstances for other drivers. Multi-car pileups where the victims stand outside their vehicles, accidents that lead to large fires, and wrecked or disabled industrial trucks that leak fuel or other explosive and corrosive chemicals can not only block traffic for hours, but they can also be dangerous for drivers and accident victims. If you see the accident ahead is serious, it may be safer for your family to turn around or take an alternate route instead.
Unless emergency responders are on the scene of a recent accident, make it a point to stop and ask the victims or any witnesses if they’ve called 911. Although it seems like a given that someone would have called—especially with most people carrying cell phones—it’s not always the case. In addition, in some accidents the victims may be unconscious and you may be the first witness. That’s why it’s always better to be safe than sorry and contact emergency responders right away to get the victims the medical attention they need.
The Nashville car accident attorneys at Matt Hardin Law understand that driving near accident scenes can be hectic, confusing, and even dangerous. But if you follow the previous tips and stay calm, you can not only keep your family safe, but you may even save a life.
If you or someone you love was injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, give our law firm a call. Just dial (615) 200-1111 or complete our free online form to get in touch with our experienced attorneys. We know Tennessee car accident laws, and we can put our knowledge to work for you.
