Five Dead in North Carolina Trucking Accident

Five people, including two children, are dead and four others have been hospitalized following a multi-vehicle crash in Lumberton, North Carolina.

At Least Three Tractor-Trailers Involved in Lumberton Crash

According to WTVD, at least three 18-wheelers and three small vehicles were involved in a fatal collision that shut down both directions of Interstate 95 near Exit 10 for almost 12 hours Tuesday afternoon.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol says a tanker truck rear-ended another vehicle around 1 pm when it failed to slow for a construction zone. Fuel from the crashed vehicles ignited, and the flames soon spread to other vehicles.

Among those killed in the accident were Michael Elliott, 68, and four members of a Goose Creek family, Elise Ann Spennati, 32; Cole Allen Spennati, 25; Aila Spennati, 4; Fianni Spennati, 1.

At least three others were flown by helicopter to area hospitals with serious injuries. A fourth person was hospitalized in stable condition.

National Trucking Accident Statistics

The follwiong information was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

• 438,000 trucking accidents were recorded in the U.S. in 2014, resulting in 3,903 deaths and 111,000 injuries.
• Of those killed in trucking accidents:
  • 17 percent were occupants of large trucks
  • 73 percent were occupants of other vehicles
  • 10 percent were listed as nonoccupants, including bicyclists and pedestrians
• Texas led the nation in trucking accident fatalities with 553 trucking-related deaths reported. California followed Texas with 300 recorded deaths