Semi-Truck Hits Vans on I-69 Shoulder, Two Injured in Madison County, IN
Madison County, IN -- January 28, 2022, two people were seriously injured when a semi-truck collided with a full-sized van on the shoulder of Interstate 69 in Madison County.
Authorities say the incident happened shortly before 1:40 a.m. on northbound I-69 near mile marker 217 and the Pendleton exit. Preliminary investigation suggests two full-sized vans were stopped on the right shoulder of the roadway as one van's driver tried to jump-start the other. While the driver was between the vans connecting them, a commercial semi-truck crashed into the back of one van and pushed it into the other.
Both vans' drivers, ages 33 and 35, suffered serious injuries in the crash. The truck driver was reportedly unhurt.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Semi-Truck Accident on I-69 in Madison County
It's not really clear what happened here, but if a truck somehow hit some vans that weren't even on the roadway that obviously raises some red flags. Clearly further investigation will be needed to find out how that could have happened. Did the truck round a nearby curve too quickly? Was the driver distracted or too sleepy to drive carefully? Was any part of either van partly in the road? Were the vans' hazard lights activated as they worked on the jumpstart? Is it possible the semi-truck hit some kind unforeseen road hazard that sent it out of control? Was the truck driver well-trained and experienced for night driving? Does their employer have a history of drivers causing accidents? Do they maintain their trucks properly?
There are plenty of factors to investigate here, and unfortunately police may have too much on their plates to properly dig into all the details. That's why this may be yet another situation better off in the hands of independent accident reconstructionists. At the very least it's important for those affected to know that the wreck was carefully and thoroughly investigated.
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