18-Wheeler Truck Crash Kills Teen Riding in Stolen SUV
A teenager who was a passenger in a stolen SUV sustained fatal injuries when the vehicle he was riding was involved in a semi-truck accident with an 18-wheeler truck that jackknifed. The fatal truck crash happened on Interstate 30 at around 6am on April 26.
According to police, the trucker lost control of his large truck before crashing into the concrete highway median. The tractor-trailer then fell over and onto the SUV, which was reported stolen that morning.
The driver, age 16, got out of the SUV and tried to leave the 18-wheeler truck accident site. The teenager was apprehended and charged with failure to stop and render aid and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Two other teens remained trapped in the SUV. Emergency crews rescued them 17-year-old Renee Escalante was transported to the hospital in stable condition Unfortunately, a second passenger in the SUV, 17-year-old Mario Ruiz, was pronounced dead later that day. Semi-truck driver Edwin Manning was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The teen driver sustained minor injuries.
Jacknife Truck Crashes
Common causes of a truck jackknifing can include driver error, improper braking, too much cargo, making sharp turns, equipment malfunction, poor road conditions, and speeding. Jacknifing involves an 18-wheeler truck, a semi-truck, a tractor-trailer, a big rig, or another commercial truck folding into the shape of a pocket folding knife. This can place the large truck at risk of tipping to one side or rolling over while endangering the lives of pedestrians and the occupants of the vehicles around it.
Teen dies from injuries in I-30 wreck involving stolen SUV, 18-wheeler, Star-Telegram, April 26, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Truck Safety Coalition
If a truck jackknifed because of trucker or trucking company negligence you may have grounds for filing a Chicago, Illinois 18-wheeler truck crash lawsuit. There may even be more than one party that you can hold liable.
