The driver of a truck that was hauling a full-sized boat is alleged to have caused a chain reaction crash in, Ohio, on July 22, 2017. His truck ultimately crashed into and severely injured a food truck worker.
According to witness statements taken by the Ohio Highway Patrol, the driver of the Ford F-350 truck was seen driving in the southbound direction along Route 83 shortly before the crash. As he quickly approached a junction, he didn’t seem to notice a Chevrolet Equinox stopped in traffic in front of him.
The 22-year-old truck driver swerved right in an attempt to miss the Equinox. Although he thought he had cleared the vehicle, he clipped its mirror. Then he struck one of the food truck’s employees, pinning him between the food truck and his pickup.
First responders who arrived at the scene worked tirelessly to extricate the Columbia Station resident from the wreckage. Once they did, they determined he had suffered serious injuries. They then placed him on an awaiting helicopter to be taken to Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center to be treated.
Other employees working on the food truck at the time suffered mild to moderate injuries. Among those injured, there was a 42-year-old Rittman man who had been washing the truck at the time of the accident. There were also two others, a 21-year-old North Ridgeville resident and a 25-year-old from Oberlin. One suffered non life-threatening injuries. The other was not hurt.
While the Ohio Highway Patrol doesn’t suspect that drugs or alcohol played a role in causing the crash, they have said that they believe that the pickup driver was following too close to cars in front of him. They note charges may be filed against the pickup truck driver upon completion of the investigation.
In this case, the workers that were injured may be eligible to file workers’ compensation claims to recover medical expenses and lost wages caused by the crash. The more seriously injured worker may be entitled to file a third-party claim as well.
Source: The Chronicle-Telegram, “Man flown to MetroHealth after Route 83 wreck,” Jodi Weinberger, July 22, 2017
