A North Carolina man was pronounced dead this week after distraction from his cell phone caused him to rear end a semi truck, ending in a three-vehicle accident. Though the accident occurred in Wyoming, the story is a sobering reminder to North Carolina drivers about the dangers of distracted driving.
Police say that while driving his semi-truck through Albany County in Wyoming, the 37-year-old High Point man suddenly became distracted by his cell phone. Though police do not know whether the man was texting or talking on his phone it was enough to slow his reaction time prior to the truck accident. Along with the inclement weather conditions, police say that it is likely that the 37-year-old did not see that he was approaching another semi truck on the side of the road until it was too late.
The man’s truck slammed into the back of the parked semi-truck which then collided with another tractor trailer also parked on the side of the road. Police say that the force of the collision was enough to crumple the cab of the first truck, trapping the 37-year-old inside. He was pronounced dead at the scene while the other two drivers are said to have received no injuries.
Accidents such as this are a continuous reminder of how one moment of negligence can end tragically. While no one else was injured in this crash, the circumstances could have been very different had the road not been closed due to previous crashes. It would be difficult to estimate how many more people could have been injured in this accident had the situation been different.
Source: The Laramie Bloomerang, “Man killed in multi-car crash,” April 20, 2013
