Citation

Accid. Reconstr. J. 2011; 21(3): 37-56.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

On June 26, 2009, a minor traffic accident near Miami, Oklahoma, caused a traffic queue as the disabled vehicle was pushed from the roadway. Within minutes of the first accident, a second accident occurred when a truck-tractor semitrailer drove into the traffic queue. The truck-tractor was traveling at a speed of approximately 69 mph. A total of six passenger vehicles and one livestock trailer were involved in this secondary accident. Ten passenger vehicle occupants died and 6 were injured as a result of the accident. The driver of the truck-tractor also sustained serious injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that probable cause of the accident was the truck driver's fatigue. Impact speed and the combination unit's structural incompatibility with passenger vehicles were contributing factors. As a result of their investigation, NTSB issued several recommendations concerning fatigue countermeasures, front underside protection systems, and collision warning systems.