News Crew Catches Devastating 18-Wheeler Wreck on Camera
Recent and shocking video shows just how quickly a seemingly safe situation can turn deadly.
According to KCBD in Lubbock, Texas, the catastrophe that was caught on film occurred during foggy conditions Friday on a stretch of road about a mile outside Slaton, Texas.
While police and the news crew were responding to a traffic incident on Highway 84, the low-visibility conditions caused an 18-wheeler to come barreling blindly onto the scene, jackknifing and careening into the median.
On the grass divider were police officers, bystanders, and the KCBD news crew with a rolling camera.
As the massive rig careened out of control, it overturned on top of a white pickup truck that had a man inside.
Despite the violence of the wreck, there were no deaths.
The man inside the crushed pickup survived after being rushed to the hospital. A Texas state trooper was also caught up in the incident, but his injuries only included some cuts, bruising, and a sprained ankle.
Thankfully, the truck stopped short of causing any more damage.
KDBC reported that just before the truck crashed, a red SUV changed lanes in front of it, causing the truck’s driver to swerve and lose control of the vehicle.
The entire even was captured by the waiting news crew, who likely didn’t expect to film anything this exciting.
The video was uploaded to the news station’s Twitter account. Watch the harrowing footage below.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: KCBD crew captures video of semi crash on Slaton Highway. – Full story here: https://t.co/xb48usLmz4 pic.twitter.com/MMzf9rKQEf
— KCBD NewsChannel11 (@KCBD11) December 27, 2019
There’s no doubt that working near a road is bound to bring people close to danger like this.
While the trucking industry is scrambling to find enough drivers to move America’s cargo across the country, accidents like this reinforce that even with a trained professional, it’s not only a difficult job, it’s a dangerous one, too.
Some organizations are taking steps to help limit fatalities and accidents along roads with the help of innovative technology.
Although it’s unlikely to have helped in the foggy conditions captured on the video above, some police cars are now being equipped with vertical light bars. The theory is that the increased visibility will help alert drivers before they near a stopped emergency vehicle.
While this could have stopped some vehicles in time, the sheer momentum of a fully-loaded semi means that it wouldn’t work every time.
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