One killed in crash with semi in Wisconsin
A crash early Thursday morning on State Highway 54 in Wisconsin Rapids claimed the life of one person. According to an article on the WSAW news website, the crash involved a car and a semi truck. “The crash was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 54 and Chestnut Street,” the article reads. […]
A crash early Thursday morning on State Highway 54 in Wisconsin Rapids claimed the life of one person. According to an article on the WSAW news website, the crash involved a car and a semi truck.
“The crash was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 54 and Chestnut Street,” the article reads. “That portion of the highway was closed for several hours.”
The driver of the car was an 88-year-old man who reportedly died at the scene of the crash. The crash is still under investigation.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, as of April 23 of this year, 134 fatalities have been reported in the state as a result of a vehicle crash. Last year, 588 people died on Wisconsin roads, the Wisconsin DOT reports, 33 more than in 2015 and 94 more than in 2014.
According to the latest data gathered by the Wisconsin DOT, there was an average of 6,301 crashes between 2009 and 2014 involving large trucks and an average of 68 people died each year as a result of a crash with a large truck.
Within those same years there was an average of 1,975 injuries due to large truck collisions each year.
State Farm Insurance has posted a list of tips to share the road safely with semis and other large trucks.
According to the State Farm article, drivers of heavy trucks face a few difficulties on the road, including:
- Reduced field of vision
- Longer stopping time
- Slower reactions
- Wind vulnerability
- Wide turns
Here are a few tips to safely share the road with large trucks:
- Always pass on the left—the blind spot is smaller on this side—and maintain a steady speed
- Keep a safe following distance—four seconds or more—between you and large trucks to help avoid dangerous situations. Note: If you can’t see the trucks mirrors, they can’t see you.
- Stay alert at all times, and keep your proximity to large trucks in mind as you share the road.
