It was a difficult few days for the Atlanta community involving a couple of separate accidents involving semi-trucks.
On September 2, a semi-truck was stuck on the railroad tracks in the Coweta County area of Palmetto. The truck became stuck on the tracks at Johnston Circle around 1:30 p.m., creating a death-defying situation for many involved, including the driver of the truck.
With a CSX train advancing toward the truck, the driver attempted to get the conductor’s attention by waving his arms in the air and honking the truck’s horn. Unfortunately, these efforts were unsuccessful as the train continued moving forward, albeit at a reduced speed. Moments before the train collided with the truck, the driver was able to move to safety. The impact completely separated the truck from its trailer, and the train pushed the cab down the tracks before coming to a stop.
Remarkably, for such an incident with such a visceral impact, no one on the train was hurt. CSX did comment that emergency personnel arrived at the scene extremely quickly to check on all parties involved in what they knew could have been a disastrous and deadly scenario.
Unfortunately, an incident on September 4 didn’t have the same outcome. The Atlanta Fire Department rushed to a distress call at 2302 Marietta Boulevard Northwest around 4:30 in the morning. They arrived at a horrifying scene as a Ford Escape was lodged under a tractor-trailer with a woman trapped inside the Ford’s wreckage.
Authorities used a wrecker to displace the SUV and remove the woman’s body from the car. Unfortunately, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Atlanta Police Department later revealed some details from their investigation, including that it appeared the Ford Escape was traveling at a high rate of speed when it collided with the semi-truck that was pulling out of the driveway.
While the health status of the people involved in each incident varied greatly, both events remind us that there are any number of things that can happen in a commuter/commercial transit setting, or a motor vehicle arena. Rafi Law Firm has experienced attorneys who can help you in the case of an accident. We can be reached at (404) 800-9933.