A fiery car accident involving two pickup trucks caused serious injuries, including a severe burn injury, to the drivers and passengers in Alabama. The accident closed the road and even damaged the highway due to the extreme heat caused by the inferno.
Pickup Truck Hydroplanes Over Median Into Oncoming Traffic
The accident occurred on Highway 72 close to the town of Tuscumbia, near the northern border of Alabama and Tennessee. A pickup truck, occupied by a driver and passenger, was travelling eastbound. It hydroplaned on the road and hit the road’s median, where it exploded in flames and went airborne into oncoming traffic. The vehicle landed on top of another pickup truck in the westbound travel lanes on Highway 72. That truck was carrying a driver and passenger, both from neighboring Tennessee.
The accident and inferno totaled both trucks and caused minor injuries to both passengers and the driver of the westbound pickup truck. The driver of the eastbound vehicle suffered severe burn injuries covering more than 85 percent of his body below the waist before he was able to escape from the wreckage. He was flown from the scene of the accident to the burn center in Birmingham, Alabama, for treatment.
Road Closed and Damaged
Following the wreck, four lanes of Highway 72 were closed for nearly an hour to allow emergency personnel access to the scene. Additionally, the Alabama Department of Transportation was called to the scene because the heat of the flames was intense enough to melt the asphalt on the road. Engineers surveyed the damage to ensure that it was still safe enough for driving.
Car Accidents and Burn Injuries
Many car accidents result in severe burn injuries. This is in large part because of how quickly cars can explode or catch fire – something unsurprising, considering how cars and trucks carry gasoline so closely to their engines. Unfortunately, safety devices such as seatbelts and airbags are meant to prevent serious injuries when cars collide, but they often backfire when there are flames involved because they can make it difficult for people inside of a burning car to get out of it.
This is especially worrisome because of how often cars can catch fire after a crash. The U.S. Fire Administration says that over 13 percent of the fires in the U.S. every year are car fires, and these injure approximately 1,250 people annually.
Cobb County Personal Injury Attorney Joel Williams
Joel Williams is a Georgia attorney who represents those who are injured in car accidents around Marietta and Cobb County. People who are hurt by someone else deserve to be compensated for their injuries, their pain, and their suffering, in addition to having their medical bills covered. Contact Williams Elleby Howard & Easter if you have been hurt in a car wreck and want to explore your legal options.
