While most accidents involving semi trucks are due to poor road conditions or exhaustion, sometimes there’s a story that demonstrates the damage that sheer negligence can do. On Sunday, December 26, a semi truck was driving the wrong way down I-70 with no lights on at around 8:30 pm. That sentence is not a mistake: A semi truck driver was traveling with no lights down the wrong side of the highway, at night. Predictably, this ended in a severe collision that injured four people, including 71-year-old Martin Hernandez. Hernandez died after being airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Two of the others injured in the collision were Hernandez’ wife and granddaughter. The family was traveling in order to spend the holidays together when the accident happened.
Highway troopers arrested truck driver Jason Ross at the scene, booking him on $100,000 bail. Ross was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, vehicular homicide and assault, reckless driving, careless driving causing injury, driving on the wrong side of a divided highway and driving without headlights, according to local news sources.
Even more astonishingly, the trucking accident is not the first sign of Ross’ reckless behavior. A police officer had spotted Ross’ rig moving in the wrong lane and rushed to intercept him, including the officer shining a spotlight into the cab in an attempt to get Ross’ attention. Sadly, the efforts obviously did not work. The trooper states that Hernandez swerved when he saw the truck, which is what likely lead to the reduced injuries for his wife and granddaughter, though at the cost of his own life.
The case looks extremely clear-cut, according to officials. The highway entrances and exits are very clearly marked, and entering them through the wrong way unaware is virtually impossible for anyone but a severely impaired driver.
