Driver Exits Burning Semi-Truck and Falls to His Death

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (KY FACE) ; University of Kentucky. College of Public Health. Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center
• Description:
  On Friday, June 8, 2015 a 52-year-old semi-truck driver was traveling southbound on a six- lane interstate. He suddenly braked hard and swerved to the right striking the right shoulder of a bridge concrete barrier wall spanning a river. The right gasoline tank on the truck ruptured and caught fire as a result of the friction. Though there were no direct witnesses, it is believed the driver exited the passenger side window to escape the fire, and fell to his death over the concrete barrier wall. He was discovered by fire fighters 170 feet below the bridge in a steep wooded area. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Recommendations for prevention: 1. Manufacturers should consider the redesign and relocation of fuel tanks on commercial vehicles to reduce risk of penetration and fire. 2. Drivers should always be focused on the road to avoid distracted driving. 3. Commercial motor vehicle drivers should be trained to know the signs of fatigue and steps to take to eliminate driving while fatigued. 4. Employers should ensure that their tractor-trailers are equipped with fire extinguishers.
• Subjects:
  • Accident Prevention
  • Accidents
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Automobiles
  • Engineering
  • Mortality
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Transportation
• Keywords:
  • OSHA Region 4
  • Accident-analysis
  • Accident-potential
  • Accident-prevention
  • Accidents
  • Injuries
  • Injury-prevention
  • Fatalities
  • Traumatic-injuries
  • Truck drivers
  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Motor Vehicles ; Prevention through Design (PtD)
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE15KY030
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048161
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2016-103287
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 15KY030, 2016 Mar ; :1-8
• Email:
  ndr4@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Performing Organization:
  University of Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  48-49 - Transportation and Warehousing - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Resource Number:
  FACE-15KY030
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/165026/cdc_165026_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 329.77 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2010ce9e298c1f83fd39cf40de3bc4204e5511ab7d26433d3ec25a3e9e9bc9b97c07ab76eb2cb70ffa515d9391e91d12d338a028ca1939aff6641fc6d9ce307e