Trucker Killed in Cumberland County Collision
Ismael Medina, a truck driver from Laredo, Texas, was killed in an massive multi-vehicle accident that occurred in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania last Wednesday.
Details of the Fatal Trucking Accident
According to FOX 43, the accident occurred on I-81 Northbound around 7:40am yesterday morning near mile marker 45 when Medina failed to see traffic that had come to a stop ahead of him.
Preliminary reports indicate Medina’s Freightliner tractor-trailer crashed into a Mazda 6 and a Mazda 3, forcing both vehicles into the median. The 18-wheeler then hit a Nissan 350Z before rolling over onto its right sight and coming to rest in the median.
The 350Z was forced into Chevrolet Traverse, which was pushed into a Chevrolet Silverado.
Medina, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the police. The operators of the vehicles included in the accidents were taken to various hospitals.
National Trucking Accident Statistics
The following information was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- In the United States, there were 3,921 fatalities and 104,000 injuries in accidents involving large trucks (meaning the weight of the vehicle would be greater than 10,000 pounds) in 2012.
- Of the 3,921 deaths in 2012, 73 percent of them were occupants of other vehicles, 10 percent were nonoccupants, and only 18 percent were the occupants of the large trucks.
- In 2012, large trucks accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal car crashes.
- 81 percent of fatal trucking accidents involved multiple vehicles.