Tractor Trailer Crash Caught on Video, Driver's Medical Condition Cited as Cause
A tractor trailer driver crashed after driving the wrong way on a highway for approximately 20 minutes before hitting a concrete guard rail and exploding in Canada. The truck did make contact with several cars on the road but fortunately, none of the drivers of the cars were hurt. The article can be found here.
The crash was likely caused by the truck driver's medical condition that made it too dangerous for him to safely drive the tractor trailer. The driver was an insulin-dependent diabetic. According to witnesses, the truck driver appeared zoned out and angry with his head bobbing around and slumped down with his arms by his side. According to the truck driver's brother, he had seen the truck driver when he had gone into hypoglycemia, and the driver had been confused and sleepy.
Obviously, these symptoms that were attributed to this truck driver are all extremely dangerous for someone driving a tractor trailer on the roads. For that reason, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, which were created to regulate the trucking industry in the United States, provide that a person shall not drive a tractor trailer or other commercial motor vehicle unless he/she is physically qualified to do so. Typically, a truck driver must be examined and approved by a medical professional before he/she starts driving a truck.
There are several medical conditions which disqualify a truck driver from driving under the regulations. One of those disqualifying conditions is diabetes which requires the use of insulin. So, according to the regulations in the United States, the driver in the article cited above should never have been behind the wheel of a tractor trailer because it was not medically safe for him to drive.
