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High-speed truck crash and fire highlights risk of burn injuries

A previous post on this blog talked about the risk of car fires, which are often the end result of serious motor vehicle accidents on Louisiana’s roads.

Sadly, in another part of the country, this risk really hit home for several people involved in an accident on a major interstate. The accident, which attracted the attention of the national news media, involved over 20 vehicles, including several trucks. Many of these vehicles caught fire and burned after the accident. At least four people died and six others had to be taken to nearby hospitals.

While it wasn’t clear how many people were treated for burn injuries, reports were that several people had to be led away from burning vehicles.

Authorities in the state where this accident happened have pinned responsibility for the accident on a speeding truck driver. Immediately before the accident, the driver was apparently observed traveling toward a rush hour traffic jam at a high rate of speed, and without showing any signs of slowing down for the bottleneck.

A few moments later, the truck plowed in to the traffic jam, causing a chain reaction that ended in a massive fire that closed the interstate. Police say that they are continuing to work on identifying victims and notifying the next of kin.

For his part, the truck driver, who is only 23, now faces multiple counts of vehicular homicide. Police said that they do not suspect drugs and alcohol played a role in what they are describing as an accident. Still, why the truck driver did not stop is not clear.

At a high rate of speed, just about any collision with a large truck can cause a motor vehicle fire. Moreover, fire or not, these sorts of accidents are often catastrophic. Victims of such accidents may have legal options.