Rear-end collisions are one of the most common crashes, occurring around once every eight seconds in the United States. While some of these rear-end collisions are minor fender bender accidents, some can be serious or even deadly. One recent rear-end car accident in Indianapolis resulted in the loss of a life and illustrates the importance of driving safely to prevent rear-end car accidents from happening.
The recent deadly rear-end car accident in Indianapolis was reported on by Daily Journal. The crash happened very close to downtown Indianapolis when the involved vehicles were traveling on Interstate 65.
The crash involved a 25-year-old man who was driving a landscape dump truck which was pulling a trailer. The 25-year-old who was in the landscape truck was going in a southbound direction at approximately 3:45 PM on a Tuesday afternoon. He reportedly came up behind a semi truck, which Indiana State Police had indicated was stopped as a result of traffic. The driver of the landscape truck reportedly did not stop and his vehicle hit the back of the semi truck.
The accident trapped the 25-year-old driver, along with a passenger who was in the landscape truck, inside of the vehicle. Law enforcement reported to the accident scene and the Indianapolis Fire Department was able to remove the driver and the passenger from the truck. The driver and passenger were taken to Eskenazi Hospital. The driver died at the hospital early on a Wednesday morning, and the passenger who was in the landscape truck was listed as bing in serious condition.
The preliminary reports from the collision indicate the traffic on the interstate had slowed to a stop near the area where there is a split between Interstate 65 and Interstate 75. No construction was occurring in the area and law enforcement officers indicate they were not certain exactly why traffic had stopped, but said traffic patterns were normal for the area in the time leading up to the deadly accident. Police believe the driver of the semi truck had properly stopped for traffic, while the landscape truck did not stop and rear-ended the semi. The 56-year-old driver of the semi truck was not hurt.
Unfortunately, in many rear-end accidents, the driver in the rear is the primary cause of the accident or on of the leading causes of the accident because the driver cannot or does not stop in time. This can often happen when a driver in a rear vehicle is tailgating, which means following too close behind the front car. Avoiding tailgating and leaving a sufficient stopping distance between cars is essential to preventing rear-end accidents. Rear-end crash prevention also involves following the speed limit, as cars going too fast might not be able to stop on time to avoid causing a rear-end accident which could turn deadly.
It is not clear in this recent accident whether the landscape driver was tailgating or speeding. However, motorists should avoid these and other unsafe behaviors if they want to avoid another tragedy like this one occurring.