Battle Mountain, NV — May 18, 2024, one person was killed and one was injured following an 18-wheeler accident at around 1:30 a.m. on I-80.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the accident happened along the side of westbound lanes of the interstate.
According to officials, two people were in a Cadillac traveling along westbound lanes of I-80. In a series of events not clear right now, the vehicle crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer reportedly parked along the right shoulder. As a result, the passenger in the Cadillac sustained fatal injuries. The driver had reportedly critical injuries.
Right now, no further information can be confirmed.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
An obvious question investigators no doubt want to answer is why the victims’ vehicle went onto the shoulder. However, there’s often an aspect that goes overlooked anytime a commercial vehicle stops along an interstate: was the truck parked safely?
Simply put, a truck is not in the clear simply because they’re on the shoulder. It’s important commercial vehicles stop only if they have to. Something avoidable, for example, wouldn’t be an excuse to put a multi-ton obstacle on the side of a busy roadway. Running out of gas, checking GPS, mechanical issues resulting from poor maintenance, sleeping or eating—these are unacceptable reasons why many drivers might stop.
However, not every situation is foreseeable or avoidable. Hitting debris in the road or having a medical emergency, for example, are reasons a truck driver might reasonably decide they need to pull over as soon as possible and can’t wait to find an exit. So long as they properly mark their truck and move out of the lanes of travel, they’ve done just about all they can to safely get their truck out of the way. A driver taking those precautions likely wouldn’t ever be on the hook for a crash whereas a driver failing to consider safer options might.
I can’t say what exactly led to this truck stopping on the shoulder, but the fact someone lost their life makes it worth consideration. It could be that nothing unusual happened here at all, but it should be up to the evidence to have the final word on that.
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