In Glenmora, Louisiana, northbound traffic was blocked on U.S. Highway 165 after an 18-wheeler tanker truck accident. A 2001 Freightliner from Texas was northbound on the highway when the truck driver lost control and ran off the right side of the road causing the tanker to over-turn. The truck was hauling approximately 7,000 gallons of diesel, and the crash caused the tank to rupture and spill diesel on the roadway and into the median. The crash caused all northbound lanes of traffic to be closed.
In Shreveport, Louisiana, I-20 was backed up for miles after an 18-wheelers collided with a car. Police say the tractor-trailer 18-wheeler drifted out of its lane, clipped a Honda Accord and then hit the guardrail. The 18-wheeler was dangling over the rail. Crews had to be called to clean up the diesel fuel that dripped from the tank of the rig. Traffic was shut down at the crash site.
In LaPlace, Louisiana, State Police shut down the eastbound lanes of I-10 because of a collision involving two tractor-trailer 18-wheeler rigs. Police say the two 18-wheelers crashed and caught fire shutting down the interstate. One 18-wheeler was carrying compressed cardboard and the other sulfuric acid. According to State Police, I-10 east had to be completely shut down to traffic.
If you travel the highways, you realize that there are a large number of 18-wheelers operating in front, beside, and behind you. Driver fatigue, sleepy drivers, deadlines, and hours of service are coming together jeopardizing the safety of the motoring public: the housewife, the dad, the soccer mom, and the children. These accidents have a common thread: truck driver negligence. None of these incidents indicate a passenger vehicle causing or contributing to the collision. We encourage Department of Transportation officials continue their vigilance in safety inspections and hours of service audits. The money is well spent to prevent accidents as described above and the economic impact to clean up the mess and the rerouting of traffic.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
