According to news reports, two people were recently killed in a violent collision on Interstate 44 just south of downtown St. Louis. A spokesperson for the city’s fire department said the pair died when their car slammed into the back of a stopped tractor-trailer near the 7th Street exit.
The 47-year-old big rig driver told police that he had slowed and then stopped because of lane closures near a construction zone in the eastbound lanes. The trucker said that before the truck crash, he had activated his hazard lights to warn motorists behind his 18-wheeler that he was stopping.
After the commercial truck came to a stop, it was hit from behind by a Volkswagen CC. Both the driver of the car and passenger were pronounced dead at the scene of the violent crash.
The local tragedy highlighted again the dangers tractor-trailers without underride guards pose to other motorists.
The crash near downtown was not long after another fatal truck accident on an interstate highway. The earlier deadly collision was in Georgia, however, where officials announced criminal charges against the 39-year-old trucker for his role in the crash that killed four people.
The giant commercial vehicle slammed into the back of a Chevy pick-up on I-75. The force of the impact shoved the pick-up into the back of another tractor-trailer. The pick-up then went up in flames, news reports stated.
As we have seen in virtually all collisions involving passenger vehicles and large trucks, those in the smaller vehicles are almost always the ones who suffer the most.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a tractor-trailer crash, contact a St. Louis attorney experienced in effective personal injury and wrongful death litigation.
