Woman Injured in Truck Rollover Accident on Dearborn Street in Seattle, WA
Seattle, WA -- June 8, 2022, a woman was injured as the result of an accident where a semi-truck trailer overturned along Dearborn Street.
Investigators reported that the incident happened early Wednesday off the corner of Dearborn Street and Ranier Avenue S.
Officials said a tractor-trailer pulling dual trailers was turning off Dearborn when the rear trailer somehow overturned. When it did, the trailer landed on a 67-year-old woman, trapping her.
EMS were able to free the woman and transport her to a hospital with unspecified injuries. Right now, no further information is available.
Commentary on Truck Trailer Rollover Accident on Dearborn in Seattle
While it isn't entirely clear what happened here, most every reasonably prudent trucker is able to make a simple turn without tipping one of their trailers. While there are many reasons this could have happened, few explanations put the truck driver or at the very least their employer in a good light.
The most likely cause of a crash like this is simply taking a corner too fast. A driver that is impatient or perhaps even poorly trained can try to beat a light, not slow down in time, or otherwise take a turn too aggressively and tip their own trailer. Could it be that this driver was on a tight deadline? Were they not experienced with hauling dual trailers? Has this kind of thing happened before?
Alternatively, another common reason for trailers rolling is cargo shifts. Generally speaking, that's usually the driver's fault or at least their co-workers' fault. Drivers have a responsibility during their pre-trip checks to ensure everything is secure. Failing to notice potential issues or ignoring them and hoping for the best is more than reckless. Their co-workers poorly loading the cargo in the first place can also be a problem worth addressing. But it's not always the same company loading and transporting the goods. In a crash I handled not long ago, for example, a separate company improperly loaded cargo which led to a deadly wreck. That meant the company that loaded it was responsible for doing so recklessly while the transport company was responsible for transporting it despite the risks.
Again, I can't say what all happened here. For all I know, a mechanical defect the truck driver couldn't possibly foresee led to this. Maybe some other reckless driver caused the trailer to tip, and reports simply failed to mention that. My goal here isn't to jump to conclusions. My goal is for people to understand some of the potential challenges surrounding a crash like this so they know that steps must be taken to anticipate and overcome these challenges.
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