• December 29, 2022

Three Injured in Semi-Truck Rollover Accident on Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, OR

Newport, OR -- December 27, 2022, three people were injured due to an accident where a tractor-trailer overturned.

The initial details about the crash indicate that it happened at around 7:00 a.m. along the Yaquina Bay Bridge/US 101. There were apparently high winds at the time which caused a tractor-trailer to overturn, pinning at least two other vehicles. Three people were said to be injured, but their injuries weren't specified.

Newport, OR Semi-Truck Rollover Accident Injures 3 on Yaquina Bay Bridge

There's not much more information here, though folks may not see the need for further explanation. Not much you can do about the wind, is there? That's true, but sometimes things aren't so simple. For example, there are sometimes high wind advisories put out by local authorities that a responsible company could see and decide it's not worth the risky of having a tractor-trailer out on the road precisely because it could be blown over. Was there any such advisory the day of this crash?

Furthermore, the rollover may have been less the result of the wind but perhaps poorly secured cargo. Evidence could show the wind wouldn't have done anything to a properly-loaded trailer, but a poorly loaded one could lead to cargo moving unnecessarily and hitting the side of the trailer, pulling it over. Is that something authorities looked into? Do they even have the experience and tools to know what they're looking for?

Just to be clear, I have no particular reason to believe any of the above possibilities happened here. The reason I mention all of this is because blaming an accident an Act of God is one of the oldest tricks in the book for trucking companies, and it is often used where it's not appropriate.

For instance, I had a case where a woman was killed when an 18-wheeler hydroplaned and drove into her lane. The trucking company lawyers tried to blame the weather for that accident, but the evidence showed pretty clearly that the truck had bald tires and the driver was going too fast for the conditions. Again, not saying that's the case here. It could be the case that the truck driver is the world leader in safe driving and an act of God happened that was beyond his ability to control. But I can't help but raise an eyebrow when I hear of such explanations due to how often they're misapplied.

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