Driver Injured in Truck Overturn Accident on I-696 in Madison Heights, MI
Madison Heights, MI — January 31, 2023, a truck driver was injured when a load shift overturned his big rig on Interstate 696 in Madison Heights.
Authorities say the incident happened around 11:25 a.m. along I-696 near Dequindre Road. Preliminary investigation suggests the truck was headed east on the highway when it entered a right-hand curve or corner and its cargo shifted left. The shift caused the truck to overturn on its left side in the roadway.
The truck driver received possible serious injuries in the wreck. No other vehicles or injuries were reported.
The investigation continues. No further information is currently available.
I've learned over the years that people sometimes accept the information in early reports as all there really is to know. They see a load shifted in the truck, chalk the whole thing up to an unfortunate accident, and assume workers' comp will take care of getting the trucker back on track. As with any crash, though, it's important to find out whether there's more to the story.
For instance, learning not only why the load shifted but also who put it in the trailer to begin with is crucial. The answers to both those questions, often related, may mean that a third party who actually loaded the cargo is responsible for not properly strapping it in place. If so, they may be partly responsible for the driver's injuries when their poorly-secured cargo knocked the truck over.
To be clear, I wasn't there and I don't know more than the few details the press has so far relayed. I just know from long experience that things aren't always as simple as they may seem, and anyone injured in a crash deserves to know that every effort was made to learn the whole story. Hopefully that's exactly what authorities will do in Michigan.
