KENT, Ore. — An 18-wheeler driver was cited for careless driving after a catastrophic head-on collision with another big rig on Oct. 6 along Highway 97 near Kent, Oregon.
According to the Oregon State Police’s (OSP) Facebook page, a rig hauling a loaded flatbed was traveling southbound when the driver attempted to pass on a corner in a no-passing zone.
While passing, the driver, who was traveling at a high rate of speed, according to the OSP, slammed on his brakes, leaving more than 200 feet of skid marks before the trailer partially jackknifed and struck a northbound red semi almost directly head on.
The impact tore off the entire right side of the red rig’s cab.
The flatbed load separated from the other truck after the impact and came to a rest in the northbound lane and shoulder.
Another 18-wheeler clipped the wreckage and was also damaged.
No one was killed.
The OSP shared multiple graphic photos of the accident scene in what it said was an effort to promote safer driving among commercial motor vehicles. Names of those involved in the accident were not given.
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If that driver was going faster, the passing maneuver would have been completed. The moral of the story . . . drive as fast as you can at all times.