18-Wheeler Accident Backs Up Traffic for Hours
An 18-wheeler accident just south of Garrison, Texas slowed traffic in the area for hours on Wednesday morning.
Details about the 18-Wheeler Accident
According to NewsWest9, the Texas Department of Transportation was urging motorists this morning to use caution when traveling on US Highway 59 just south of Garrison.
Some of the lanes of traffic were still blocked as of 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon while emergency crews worked to clear an accident that happened Wednesday morning.
At 7:30 a.m., all lanes of traffic were closed when a medical helicopter landed to transport the injured truck driver to the hospital, said Texas Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Rhonda Oaks.
In a press release form the Texas Department of Transportation, it was stated that DPS troopers from Nacogdoches County responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident involving an 18-wheeler on Highway 59 south of County Road 179.
According to an early accident investigation, a 2012 International tractor-trailer being driven by 47-year-old David Wayne Fleming, of Arkansas, was headed south on Highway 59 when he left the road to the right. The 18-wheeler then dove off the road into the creek and hit the creek bank, which caused it to lose its load of pipes it was carrying.
The driver of the truck was taken by helicopter to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview for treatment.
Important Information about 18-Wheeler Accidents in the United States
According to the National Highway Safety Administration:
- In 2012, fatalities in accidents involving large trucks rose by 4 percent from 2011.
- In Texas, in 2012, there were 543 large trucks like big rigs that were involved in accidents.
- In 2012, there were 3,921 people killed in accidents involving large trucks in the United States.
