Steel Beams Pierce Back Of Truck Cab, Killing Driver

Have you ever been listening to a traffic report and hear about ladders on the roadway? Or some other piece of equipment that has fallen off a truck and is now laying in the middle of an interstate? According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, road debris causes 25,000 accidents and nearly 100 deaths each year. When it comes to an item falling off a vehicle and impacting another, in order to pursue a claim, the victim must prove that the driver of the other vehicle was negligent in securing the load they were carrying.

11 Alive reports that a truck driver was killed after steel beams went through the back of his cab.

The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon near the intersection of State Route 10/US 78 and State Route 124 in Snellville.

A witness told police that the driver of the truck was heading east on US 78 and had to stop suddenly. This caused the load of steel beams he was carrying to be propelled forward, where they pierced the cab of his truck, pinning the driver.

The driver of the truck was identified as 78-year-old William Turnage. He died at the scene. No other vehicles were involved in the accident and there were no other injuries.

The Snellville Police Department Accident Investigation Unit and the Georgia Department of Motor Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division as well as the Georgia State Patrol are all investigating the incident. They will be checking for signs of braking at the scene, such as skid marks. They will also be investigating if the incident was caught on the surveillance cameras of nearby businesses.

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