Police say a truck driver was driving too fast and not paying attention when his 18-wheeler slammed into traffic at an Interstate 70 work zone last Tuesday. The crash left five people dead.

Details of the Fatal 18-Wheeler Crash

According to the Kansas City Star, 56-year-old Kenny B. Ford, of Texas, failed to slow for backed-up traffic on Interstate 70 near Boner Springs and crashed into the rear of vehicles that were stopped at a bottleneck where traffic was merging.

The collision involved four passenger vehicles and two semi-trucks. A witness involved in the accident exited his pickup to aid the occupants of the other three passenger vehicles, but, as he later told reporters, there was “nothing anybody could do” for them.

The five occupants of the other three passenger vehicles were killed in the collision.

Officials are still investigating the accident and are trying to determine why exactly Ford failed to slow and merge for traffic. What they have concluded is that Ford was traveling too fast when the crash occurred and that he failed to maintain proper awareness and attention to traffic conditions.

Trucking Accident Statistics

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 438,000 trucking accidents in the U.S. in 2014.
• These accidents result 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.