A semi truck driver somehow escaped injury after violently rear-ending a parked trailer in a crash that entirely destroyed the cab of their truck. Photos of the aftermath leave unclear how this happened, as the extent of the damage makes it look like the truck’s driver is lucky to be alive.
The crash was documented on social media by the Huntersville Fire Department in North Carolina. According to the department, the incident occurred Monday morning on northbound Interstate 77, north of exit 25, in the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. The department told us in a statement that the crash occurred when a semi truck collided with a parked trailer, though they offered no further details on the road or traffic conditions at the time of the crash.
Photos make clear the impact was a small-overlap rear-ending, as only the outer left portion of the trailer’s under-ride bar sustained damage. These types of crashes are hard to build crash structures for, and generate an outsize number of injuries and fatalities according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It appears the incoming semi truck submarined beneath the trailer, which tore away the bodywork and structure of the truck. Part of the truck’s bodywork became lodged in the trailer it hit, while it seems the leading top-right corner of its own trailer pierced the shell of the impacted trailer.
One would imagine the complete collapse of the cab would be fatal, but the Huntersville Fire Department indicated the driver wasn’t even injured. The driver may have escaped injury if their seat was displaced with the rest of the cab, which may have collapsed back into the sleeper area and minimized ingress on the driving position. As for the truck itself, it’s likely totaled, but that’s for insurance to determine.
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