Typically, ham and eggs is a good combination. But, in this case, the meeting of the two proved disastrous. Two tractor-trailers, one hauling a load of eggs, the other a Smithyfield Ham truck, crashed on U.S. 601 in South Carolina around 4:30 a.m. on May 16. The crash closed the freeway for hours as crews worked to remove the accident from the road, according to WSOC-9.
Video footage of the accident, as well as accounts from eye witnesses, detailed the crash. The trucks collided as one truck was pulling out onto the highway as another was passing. Bystanders heard a loud crash and saw one of the trucks go up in the air before coming back down.
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"I was getting ready to eat dinner, and heard a big bang and knew something wasn't right," Jeff Aleman told WSCO-9. He immediately ran to help. "When I first ran up to him, I was seeing if he was OK. He wasn't responding so I immediately thought he had passed. Moments later he said, 'Yes, I'm OK,' and that's when we started tearing him out of there."
Authorities reported that both drivers had minor injuries but were otherwise fine. Officials had to remove debris and clean up spilled fuel before allowing traffic to travel in both lanes.
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Fortunately, there were only minor injuries in this accident, but some 5,700 people die in tractor-trailer involved accidents every year, according to HG. Org. While most of the victims are passengers in smaller vehicles, around 700 victims are drivers or passengers in big rigs. The most common causes of big rig accidents include driver fatigue, improper maintenance, distracted driving, and inexperienced drivers.