Car accidents that happen on highways tend to be more serious than those that occur on residential streets. That's because traffic is usually moving much faster and there are more large vehicles, including semitrailers and tanker trucks. The bigger the vehicle, the more potential there is for serious injury, especially in accidents between large trucks and comparatively smaller passenger vehicles.

A major crash last weekend in Shreveport, Lousisiana, demonstrated how damaging a large-truck accident can be. Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office investigators said a saltwater tanker truck crossing Highway 169 didn't stop or yield to traffic at a stop sign. As a result, a van traveling south on the highway ran under the tanker truck.

The driver of the truck and the 6-year-old passenger of the van were taken by ambulance to a hospital, while the driver of the van, a 39-year-old woman, was airlifted to the same hospital and listed in critical condition.

Deputies said before the crash that salt water was leaking from the tanker truck and had to be offloaded. A small amount of diesel fuel was also leaking. While there is a chance that the driver was distracted by the problems with his truck, he is of course still required to obey all traffic signs and signals.

Most truck drivers receive extensive training on how to operate and maintain their rigs. The purpose of this training is not just to learn how to drive such an enormous and sometimes unwieldy vehicle, but to anticipate and diagnose potentially dangerous problems. Whether or not this driver was distracted or simply misjudge the time he had to safely cross the highway, his actions put two people and the driver himself in harm's way.

Source: Shreveport Times, "Blotter: Major crash sends three to hospital," Feb. 4, 2012