Driver Injured in 18-Wheeler Overturn Accident on I-55 in Portageville, MO
Portageville, MO — January 7, 2023, a truck driver was seriously injured in a tractor-trailer overturn crash on Interstate 55 in Portageville.
Authorities say the incident happened early Saturday morning along northbound I-55 near mile marker 37. Preliminary investigation suggests only that a semi-truck hauling a tanker trailer partially loaded with gasoline was traveling on the highway when the driver lost control for unknown reasons and the big rig overturned.
Firefighters extricated the critically-injured truck driver and transported them to an area hospital. No other injuries were reported.
No further information is currently available.
Over the years I've seen plenty of single-vehicle accidents that were caused by something out of the driver's hands, but unfortunately people often read that only one vehicle was involved and assume its operator must be to blame. Let me explain why that logic misses the mark.
The biggest issue is that it doesn't account for all the ways a wreck could be out of someone's hands. Poor road conditions, overdue maintenance, another vehicle that cut the truck off and made it swerve, or any number of other things could have contributed, and those factors need careful consideration and investigation before conclusions are reached.
At the end of the day someone was critically injured while just doing their job, so it's important to find out how and why that went wrong--and how they ended up in a hospital by day's end. They and their loved ones deserve a full investigation and whatever answers it uncovers. I hope authorities and the trucking company plan to give them both.
