If I hear about a passenger car being involved in a collision with a semi-truck, I’d assume that would be nothing left resembling an automobile. The driver usually doesn’t survive the incident or is seriously injured at best. I would never believe that the driver would be waving out the side window to another car, but that’s how events played out on a highway outside of Chicago, Illinois earlier this week.
The incident occurred on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), west of Chicago. While recording, a bystander driving down the highway approached a semi-truck. Things immediately seemed off as smoke emitted from beneath the trailer. As the bystander got closer, it became clear that a black Honda Accord was trapped beneath the trailer and being dragged down the highway. The trailer crushed the front of the Accord between the A and B pillars. Though somehow, the driver started to wave at the bystander, seemingly okay.
LayLisha Gardner, the driver of the trapped Honda, called 911 multiple times during the ordeal. The Illinois State Police responded to the incident and reported that no one was injured. In an interview with WGN Radio, Gardner’s attorney claims that the semi-truck moved from the left lane into Gardner’s Honda. The interviewer quickly pointed out that it seemed more likely that Gardner switched lanes directly into the trailer by how the car was pinned.
While who is a fault will be determined in a courtroom, LayLisha Gardner is lucky that she will be able to attend the proceedings in person. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, over 4,000 people are killed each year in semi-truck collisions. While truck drivers are also in danger during collisions, overwhelmingly, those in passenger vehicles are far more likely to lose their lives.
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