Flying Ice From Semi-Truck Drivers a Major Danger
Recently, I was driving from Milwaukee to Iowa for a deposition. As I was approaching the half-way point on my drive, I saw a large chunk of ice flying towards me. The chunk of ice had become dislodged from the top of a semi-truck trailer and was hurling through the air directly towards my face. As only 1-2 seconds elapsed from the time the ice flew from the top of the trailer to the time it struck my windshield, I had no time to react or take any evasive actions.
The ice crashed into my windshield make a loud bang. Fortunately, the ice did not break through my windshield. As I slowed my vehicle, the semi-truck driver continued along at the same rate of speed, obviously unaware of the incident. As the tractor-trailer continued down I-88 westbound, I counted at least 5 more large pieces of ice that flew from the top of his trailer, until finally it appeared as though the trailer was clear of ice. I was unable to obtain any information that could have identified the semi-truck.
Incidents like the above are very common during the winter months. While I am fortunate, many others are injured or killed in very similar incidents involving ice flying from semi-trucks. Ice chunks flying from semi-trucks also accounts for thousands of dollars in property damage each year from damage to windshields and body damage to the vehicles struck by these ice chunks.
Truckers and trucking companies have an obligation to remove ice and snow from their trailers prior to operating their trucks so as to not create such hazards. It is time truck drivers and trucking companies acknowledge this very serious danger. Few trucking companies actually have written policies and procedures in place to ensure drivers manually remove the snow and ice from their trailer before driving.
One of the biggest problems I usually face in handling these types of cases on behalf of those injured by flying ice from semi-trucks is identifying the actual semi-truck that caused the injury. Many times the tractor-trailer drivers usually continue down the road and are never identified.
