Jefferson County, Washington – Chase Ends in Semi Truck-Car Crash on Highway 101

Jefferson County, Washington (April 30, 2020) – A speeding driver ended up colliding with a truck on Highway 101 in Discovery Bay. According to the report from Washington State Patrol Trooper Chelsea Hodgson, there were no injuries in the incident and the the driver has been taken into custody.

The incident started when the speeding driver went past a Washington State Patrol trooper and failed to yield, in the area to the south of Sequim. While fleeing, the driver lost control on a curve and ended up crashing into a northbound semi truck. The driver has been taken into custody for felony eluding. The crash caused Highway 101 to be blocked while investigation was going on, but the road has been reported to be cleared.

About Vehicle Accidents

In 2017, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)  have reported a total of 120, 993 car accidents. Of those accidents, 525 were fatal ad 34, 311 were possible or suspected of injuries. On the other hand, the state of Washington’s  2015 Annual Collision Data Summary reported that 6,091 commercial vehicle or heavy trucks were involved in collisions in 2015. These crashes included 38 fatal collisions, 85 serious injury collisions, 1,352 minor injury collisions, 4,565 property damage collisions, and 51 unknown injury collisions.

Give the size and build difference between cars and trucks, collisions between the two often result in dangerous situations. Specifically, trucks can weigh 20-30 times more than passenger cars, and their height and greater ground clearance can cause smaller vehicles to be more easily toppled in car-truck accidents. Consequently, studies have proven that most deaths in large truck accidents are passenger vehicle occupants, who are more vulnerable in case of collision. However, in a 2013 study, most car-truck accidents are often caused by car drivers, with relation to driver errors. Regardless of which vehicle you are driving, one must always exercise caution on the road. With both cars and trucks, drivers must be responsible for making sure their vehicle is in a good condition and not prone to vehicle failure, and to always consider the road and weather conditions.

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