A couple weeks ago, we discussed some common behaviors drivers engage in that are likely to cause distracted driving accidents. Of course, every Illinois driver knows that texting while driving is illegal and dangerous, but there are plenty of other driver distractions that can be just as likely to cause a crash.
This includes a behavior that Chicago drivers engage in every day: eating and drinking in the car. Recently, two people were killed in a fatal truck accident when the truck driver began to choke on his lunch.
According to news sources, the crash occurred late last month on a highway near Davis, California. The driver of a semi was reportedly eating his lunch behind the wheel when he suddenly started choking. Eventually, he lost consciousness and the truck began to veer wildly.
A state highway patrol spokesman said that the truck first swerved right and struck the guardrail along the shoulder. It then veered back toward the middle of the highway, striking two other vehicles along the way. Both of those drivers suffered injuries.
Finally, the out-of-control big rig broke through the highway’s center divider and collided head-on with a BMW. The car’s driver and passenger were both killed in the crash.
The truck driver’s airway soon cleared and he regained consciousness. By this time, however, the damage had been done. Two people were dead and another two were injured.
It is safe to assume that the semi driver did not anticipate this accident when he began eating his lunch behind the wheel. But then again, few distracted drivers take time to consider the potential consequences of their negligent behavior.
If you regularly engage in distracted driving and think that a crash will never happen to you, that kind of wishful thinking could get you killed. Stories like this one serve as a reminder that distracted driving is simply not worth the risk.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, “Trucker chokes, causes fatal I-80 crash,” Will Kane, Mar. 28, 2013