4 Dead in Logging Truck Accident in Alabama

Four people were killed and another was injured in a two-vehicle accident on U.S. 82 in Chilton County, Alabama.

About the Fatal Accident

Four people, including two children, were killed in a collision near the intersection of Highway 82 and County Road 337, ABC 33 reports.

According to state troopers the crash occurred when a logging truck collided with an SUV around 4 pm. The tractor trailer, loaded with logs, overturned and blocked Hwy 82 until shortly before 8pm.

State troopers have identified the four victims in the car as Destini Monique Davis, Tarlanda Davenport, an infant younger than one, and a toddler younger than two. None of the victims were using seat belts or proper child restraints. The driver of the tractor trailer was also injured and transported to a local hospital.

“The vast majority, 99 percent of crashes, are due to driver error,” said Sergeant Steve Jarrett with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Jarrett said Alabama Law Enforcement will be doing a through investigation to determine what caused the crash. ALEA reports, troopers have investigated 63 more fatal wrecks this year, than at this same time last year.

Information About Lack of Seat Belt Use

According to crash reports from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency:

• Crash activity reports from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) show 255 people who were not wearing seat belts died in traffic accidents on Alabama’s roadways in 2014.
• The latest information shows 511 people were killed in traffic accidents investigated by Alabama State Troopers in 2014, down from 515 fatalities in 2013.
• Of the 511 crash victims, 405 were in vehicles where seat belts were available. Seventy-nine percent of those killed had a seat belt available, but chose not to wear it.