A woman from Etna Green, Indiana, is in serious condition following a Monday evening semi-truck accident in Indiana’s Kosciusko County. According to witnesses and local authorities, the accident took place around 6:20pm on Monday.
Witnesses informed police that a semi-truck was turning northbound at the intersection of US highway 30 and County Road 350 West. A car being driven by 24-year-old driver Jenna Wireman came up behind the vehicle and couldn’t stop in time after the truck began to turn, hitting the trailer of the semi-truck. Wireman testified to police that the truck had pulled suddenly into her path to make its turn, and she didn’t have time to stop before hitting the semi-truck.
Local rescue workers airlifted Wireman to an area hospital. Wireman was still listed as being in serious condition as of Tuesday morning. 46-year-old Dan Hass of Plymouth, Indiana, was not injured in the accident. Police have not said whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in causing the accident.
This accident in particular illustrates the dangers that come with sharing highway space with semi-trucks and other tractor-trailer rigs. In particular, visibility is the most prevalent concern – semi-truck drivers cannot see other vehicles around them very easily, because semi-trucks have enormous blind spots to the sides and rear of the vehicle. Thus, semi-truck drivers are supposed to be extra cautious before changing lanes, since it is all too easy for a smaller car to be caught behind or beside a semi as it is changing lanes. There is no way a smaller car can come out safely from an accident with a vehicle as large as a multi-ton semi, and it is the trucks that have the reduced visibility, so the burden is on these drivers to be extra cautious around other drivers on the roads.