Two Truckers Seriously Injured in Crash on I-94 East near Gurnee, IL
Gurnee, IL — December 22, 2022, two truck drivers were seriously injured in a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 94 East near Gurnee.
Authorities say the incident happened shortly before 2:25 p.m. on southbound I-94 near mile marker 10. Preliminary investigation suggests a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle were involved in a minor collision and pulled to the shoulder. Both drivers exited their vehicles and were standing near them when a passing big rig allegedly slid out of the travel lanes and hit the pedestrian truck driver. After the impact the striking truck swerved left and crashed into the median barrier.
The pedestrian truck driver was seriously injured in the crash. The other driver, temporarily trapped in his big rig by a load shift after hitting the median wall, was extricated and also suffered serious injuries. No other injuries were reported.
The investigation continues but reports note the crash happened during a severe weather advisory involving whiteout snow conditions and possible icy roads.
No further information is currently available.
Folks may see that serious weather may have been a factor here and think "oh, well that explains it." While I wouldn't say snow and ice weren't factors, I've remarked on this blog before that weather itself often isn't the root cause of an accident--what people do in those conditions is the issue.
Take the Gurnee wreck, for instance: If visibility is limited by blustery snowfall or the road is dangerously slick from ice, how should people ideally react? Assuming they absolutely must travel, the safest thing to do is greatly reduce their speed and remain alert. Commercial drivers are actually held to a higher standard of safety, and their obligation to slow down or even stop in bad weather is a matter of federal law. Whatever their reasons, though, many truckers disregard that law and serious accidents follow.
Having said that, no one should assume the trucker was careless here. Further investigation could reveal they had little to no control over what happened on I-94, and if they truly couldn't have prevented or avoided the crash it wouldn't be right to blame them. I just don't think it's fair to write the whole thing off as a matter of bad weather considering two people were seriously hurt. If someone in particular was responsible for either or both of those injuries, it's important that accountability follows.
