TRUCK ACCIDENT FAST FACT: According to TruckInfo.net, California ranks No. 1 among states for truck accidents. Texas, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania round out the top five.

(Photo credit: Leah Thompson / Santa Maria Times)

The Toledo Blade reports a tractor trailer accident that occurred on Thursday, January 12 at 2:27pm in the city of Oregon, Ohio. According to an Oregon Police Department lieutenant, a 16 year-old male teen was killed when a semi truck driver performed a left turn and struck the teen’s pickup. The accident occurred at the intersection of Navarre Avenue and South Wynn Road. The pickup became lodged beneath the tractor trailer and the teen died at the scene of the collision. Police said the 78 year-old male driver of the semi will be charged with vehicular homicide and will receive a citation for failure to yield while turning left.

CBSNews.com reports a gravel truck accident that occurred on Thursday afternoon, January 12 in Buellton, California. According to the Santa Barbara News Press, the truck was traveling on Highway 101 North when it struck a BMW from behind, leaving the car precariously positioned on a bridge rail adjacent to a steep drop. The 36 year-old female driver of the car and her 2 children were removed from the vehicle by emergency responders and transported to a hospital. The gravel truck went over the rail, fell into a creek and caught fire. The driver of the truck was killed.

The Star Press reports a semi truck accident that occurred on Tuesday, January 10 around 12:45pm in Winchester, Indiana. According to police, a semi truck driver transporting grain had taken marijuana,  meth and amphetamines prior to running a red light and hitting a pickup truck. The accident took place at the intersection of Greenville Pike and U.S. 27, injuring an 82 year-old man. The elderly driver of the pickup was transported to St. Vincent Randolph Hospital via ambulance and was transferred via helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital of Dayton, Ohio. Police said he was listed in stable condition. The 52 year-old driver of the truck was charged with a Class D felony for driving while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury. Witnesses say the semi truck driver attempted to dispose of his drugs and paraphernalia in a field adjacent to the scene of the accident. Police later recovered those items.

NBC4i.com reports a dump truck accident that injured 1 person on Wednesday, January 11 around 11:40am in Columbus, Ohio. Emergency responders and police discovered a collision between a car and a dump truck near 1000 Cleveland Avenue and East 5^th Avenue. A photo of the accident shows what appears to be a head-on crash with the dump truck facing the opposite side of traffic. The driver of the car suffered injuries and was transported to a hospital. Two utility poles also suffered damages in the accident. Officials shut down Cleveland Avenue between East 4^th and 5^th Avenue to investigate.

WLWT.com reports a tractor-trailer accident that occurred on Wednesday, November 30 around 8:30am in Whitewater Township, Ohio. Representatives of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said a pickup truck had stopped on U.S. 50 West to turn left onto a driveway when it was rear-ended by a 2012 Kenworth tractor-trailer. The 47 year-old male driver of the pickup received minor injuries and was transported to Harrison-Mercy Hospital. The semi driver received a citation for failure to maintain a clear distance.

The Springfield News-Sun reports a semi truck accident that occurred on Thursday, December 1 in Bethel Township, Ohio. According to troopers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a semi truck failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a pickup truck at the intersection of Lower Valley Pike and Ohio 369. Two occupants of the white pickup truck had to be extricated by the fire department and were transported to Miami Valley Hospital. One was listed under intensive care. A state trooper said the semi truck driver would mostly likely be cited for failure to yield.

The Republican Herald reports a tractor-trailer accident that left five people injured on Thursday, December 1 around 9:00am in Frackville, Mahanoy Township, Pennsylvania. According to a representative of the state police, a tractor-trailer hit a SUV while changing lanes. The SUV was pushed into the left guardrail of Interstate 81 and down an embankment. Two people in the vehicle received minor injuries, while three others sustained moderate injuries. One of the five was airlifted to a trauma center via helicopter. The tractor-trailer driver fled the scene of the accident without stopping.

The Ukiah Daily Journal reports a semi truck accident that occurred on Friday, December 2 at 1:20pm near Garberville, California. Members of the California Highway Patrol said a 1994 Kenworth semi truck spilled a load of lumber and overturned while negotiating a curve, blocking Highway 101 close to Myers Flat. The accident left an overturned 2004 PT Cruiser in its wake, injuring a 19 year-old driver and an 18 year-old passenger from Laytonville. They were transported to the hospital via ambulance with minor injuries.

WDTN.com reports a tanker truck accident that occurred on Friday, August 12 in the Montgomery County area of Riverside, Ohio. According to police investigators, a truck driver lost control of a rig while attempting a right-hand turn onto Old Troy Pike from Needmore Road. The semi-truck first hit a stopped car and then toppled onto a second vehicle, killing a female driver inside. Though officials are still investigating the accident, they believe speed may have been a factor.

The Murrieta Patch reports an accident involving a bus and a box truck around 7:50am on Wednesday, August 10 in Murrieta, California. The California Highway Patrol said a chain-reaction accident involving multiple vehicles was initiated when a bus rear-ended a box truck on Interstate 15. The box truck then struck a Nissan pickup, and the pickup truck then rear-ended a Chevy SUV. The bus lost control north of Winchester Road and crossed all lanes of traffic, coming to a rest after striking the wall of the median. Cal Fire said seven people were injured, including one listed in critical condition.

Fox 28 reports a semi-truck accident that occurred on Thursday morning, August 11 in Elkhart County, Illinois. According to police, a semi-truck driver from Chigago was traveling on US-6 West when traffic slowed for construction around County Road 15. The semi-truck had not slowed in time to stop and swerved into US-6 East, striking a Ford Taurus driven by a male from the town of Marion. He was airlifted to a local hospital after suffering a head laceration.

KIROTV.com reports a fatal box truck accident that occurred on Monday, August 15 around 3:30am in Lakewood, Washington. According to a spokesperson from the Washington State Patrol, a box truck traveling on Interstate 5 North rear-ended a minivan that had changed lanes and slowed north of state Route 512. The box truck pushed the van into the barrier of the highway. A 24 year-old woman in the back seat of the minivan was killed at the scene of the accident. Two others were transported to a hospital with injuries.

The Daily Chronicle reports a head-on collision involving a semi-truck trailer on Thursday, May 5 at 3:50pm in Genoa, Illinois. According to the DeKalb County Sherriff’s Office, the incident occurred at Route 72 and North Route 23. A semi-truck trailer driver traveling westbound swerved in an effort to avoid rear-ending a vehicle, but entered the eastbound portion of the road, striking a vehicle head-on.  The 41-year old female driver of the vehicle and 4 minors were transported to the hospital for injuries. The semi-truck driver was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and improper lane usage.

10news.com reports a multi-vehicle accident involving a big rig on Tuesday, May 3 at 8:01am in San Diego, California. California Highway Patrol said a semi truck lost its rear axle on Interstate 15 south near Carroll Canyon Road. 3 people were hurt and taken to a hospital on gurneys, including one driver of a blue pickup truck. After the accident, the semi truck came to a stop with no rear wheels.

KCTV5.com reports an accident involving a school bus and a dump truck on Wednesday morning, May 4 in Greenwood, Missouri. The accident occurred at Highway 150 and 17^th Avenue South when a dump truck rear-ended a school bus and then fell into a ditch. Firemen reported that 6 students and the driver of the bus were transported to the hospital for injuries. The students were headed on a field trip to the Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, but the trip was cancelled after the accident.

The NY Daily News reports a hit-and-run incident involving a box truck on Thursday, May 5 in Brooklyn, New York. According to local police, a 22 year-old man on his bicycle was struck by a Budget box truck near Parkway and 59^th street around 6:30pm. The 25 year-old driver of the box truck fled the scene of the accident but was found by police and awaits charges. The bicycle rider, a pizza delivery man for Amnon Kosher Pizza, passed away as a result of the accident.

Komonews.com reports a semi-truck accident in Tacoma, Washington on Thursday evening, March 31. A driver’s truck broke down on Interstate 5 North close to 56th street when a semi truck struck the vehicle from behind. The collision trapped the first driver in his crushed vehicle, which also lit on fire. Passersby were able to remove the man from the burning truck and he was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma for injuries. The semi-truck trailer was also totaled as a result of the accident.

KJCT8 reports a tractor-trailer accident that occurred on the evening of Monday, April 4 around 10:00pm in Cisco, Utah. According to the Utah Highway Patrol, a tractor-trailer truck rear-ended a tour bus carrying 25 members of a Mexican musical group. 14 were injured and taken to Grand Junction’s St. Mary’s Hospital. Two critically injured passengers were flown to the hospital by helicopter. Interstate 70 West was closed near the 214 mile marker for several hours.

Tristatehomepage.com reports a collision between an ambulance and a fire truck that occurred on Sunday, April 3 around 2:30pm in the afternoon in Vincennes, Indiana. According to authorities, a fire truck was responding to an apartment fire near 300 Broadway when it and an ambulance collided at Hart and 6th. The fire truck came to a stop on two wheels against a light pole. Four people were taken to the Good Samaritan Hospital to be treated for injuries. At the apartment, an 80-year old man suffered burns and was transported to Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis.

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports an ambulance fatality in Baldwin Park, California on Saturday, April 2nd around 5am in the morning. A 22-year old man from San Dimas had exited his Toyota Tacoma vehicle close to the center median after a collision with a Nissan Sentra when an ambulance driver arrived on the scene and swerved to avoid the Nissan, striking the San Dimas man instead. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

SunTimes.com reports that a semi truck is believed to have killed a bicyclist in a hit-and-run on Monday night, January 17, in Chicago, Illinois. The cyclist, age 65, was spotted on the ground in the 300 block of West Pershing Road around 6pm by a snowplow operator, who called 911. As a result, police were looking for a big rig with a tanker and red extended cab that had been seen speeding east on Pershing around 6pm. The rider was pronounced dead at 6:29pm at University of Illinois Medical Center.

PressDemocrat.com reports that a flatbed truck seriously injured a motorcyclist Thursday, January 20, in Santa Rosa, California.  The rider was heading south on Fulton near West College Avenue when the truck turned in front of him. The motorcyclist suffered massive head and torso injuries and was airlifted to UC Davis medical facility. Police said he’d been traveling at the speed limit, and that the driver of the 1984 Ford truck appeared to be at fault in the rush hour truck crash.

STLToday.com reports that a tractor-trailer killed three people on Thursday, January 20, near Bonne Terre, Missouri. The big rig rear-ended a car on U.S. Highway 67 South, pushing it off the road and killing all three people inside. The truck driver’s license was suspended at the time of the truck wreck, because he had stolen motor fuel. He has now been charged with three counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter, according to court filings.

WSVN.com reported that on Friday, January 21, a dump truck hit a Camry, shoving it into a Florida Highway Patrol car, seriously injuring and trapping the trooper inside. The truck driver fled the scene of the truck accident, which happened on Interstate 95 South, near Hallandale Beach Boulevard in Hollywood, Florida. The officer was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and the Camry driver was treated and released. Meanwhile, the truck driver was arrested a few hours later in Miami; an off-duty officer happened to be driving behind the truck when he received its plate information.

FloridaToday.com reported that a truck hauling motor oil killed a man when it rolled over his stalled car before dawn on Monday, January 24. This fatal truck wreck happened on the I-95 North, about half a mile north of the Pineda Causeway Extension in Melbourne, Florida.

CBSNewYork.com reports that the driver of a landscaping company dump truck lost control and crashed head-on into a Mercedes, killing an elderly man and severely injuring his wife. The dump-truck driver, whom investigators said was under the influence of alcohol, was drag-racing another landscaping truck when he crossed the center line. A bottle of vodka was found in the truck. Police are still searching for the other truck driver, who fled. This fatal truck accident happened on Monday, November 29, on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset, New York.

MSNBC.com reports that a Greyhound bus driver was severely injured and at least 18 of his 21 passengers were hurt when the New York-bound bus rear-ended a logging truck on I-95 near St. George, South Carolina. Rescuers took several hours to free the bus driver, who was pinned by fallen logs. The logging truck driver was not hurt, and the accident is still being investigated. This truck accident happened on Tuesday, November 30, around 6 p.m.

City News Service reports that a motorist died in a crash involving a catering truck that was speeding on the eastbound I-10 in California’s San Gorgonio Pass near Indio on the evening of Wednesday, December 1. According to a CHP dispatcher, the fatal truck wreck took place near Haugen Lamen Way. It was the second of two in the pass that day. Earlier that afternoon, a fatal big-rig accident on the westbound I-10, about three miles from the later crash, snarled traffic until almost 10 p.m.

TheMonitor.com reports that two truck drivers were killed in a fiery head-on crash on Highway 16 south of Hebbronville, Texas. Both tractor-trailers were carrying petroleum products and caught fire when they collided. Police said it was unclear why the big rigs crashed. This fatal truck accident happened around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, December 2. Part of the highway remained closed until the next morning as clean-up crews handled the spill.

Reuters.com reports that three children were critically injured and both drivers were hurt when an 18-wheeler hit a school bus in southern Louisiana on Friday, December 3. Emergency workers also evacuated 18 other kids. The truck accident happened on U.S. route 190, between Opelousas and Port Barre, as children were boarding the bus. Police said the bus driver had the red lights and stop sign activated when the big rig struck. It was unknown whether the truck driver was exceeding the speed limit.

NorthlandNewsCenter.com reports that a big rig rolled over and killed the driver of a passenger car while heading westbound on Highway 2 in Proctor, Minnesota. State patrol officers were still investigating how the semi-truck driver, who had minor injuries, rolled his 18-wheeler onto its side and caused this fatal truck accident on Sunday, December 5.

GantDaily.com reports that a tractor-trailer hit and killed a retired state trooper near midnight on Friday, November 5, in Union Township, Pennsylvania.  The unfortunate 54-year-old retiree had pulled his pickup truck off the road (I-80 westbound at mile marker 104.8), and stepped out of the truck. For unknown reasons, the big rig driver crossed onto the shoulder and hit the parked truck and its owner, who was declared dead at the scene of the truck wreck.

MontereyHerald.com reports that two people in separate cars died in a truck wreck on Friday, November 5, after a big rig driver rear-ended a car that had stopped to turn into a driveway. After the semi hit the first car and sent it spinning, the truck hit a second car and pushed it off the road. The double-fatality truck accident happened at 2:30pm on Highway 156 west of Meridian Road in Prunedale, California. The victims, a 4-year-old boy and the 48-year-old driver of the first car, were taken to a Salinas hospital, where they died.  Highway 156 has been the scene of several fatality accidents over the past few years.

WNDU.com reports that an eastbound semi truck blew a tire, crashed through a guardrail, crossed the westbound lanes, and landed in the ditch on the far side of the Toll Road near mile marker 57 in LaPorte County, Indiana. When a westbound car braked to avoid the out-of-control big rig, it was hit by two other cars. The four-vehicle truck accident happened just after 3pm on Sunday, November 7. One person was taken to a hospital with cut and bruises.

NewsOn6.com reports that when a big rig hit a disabled car on the Will Rogers Turnpike Sunday night, it killed the car’s teenage driver. She’d been trying to get out of the car after having hit the concrete divider. The fatal truck accident happened Sunday, November 7, in the westbound lanes, four miles west of the Miami exit, in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. A passenger in the car was unhurt, as were the truck driver and his passenger. The 19-year-old, a resident of Disney, Oklahoma, died at the scene.

JacksonSun.com reports two people died and two were injured when a van and a dump truck crashed Monday, November 8, in Winchester, Tennessee. The truck wreck happened in the afternoon at the intersection of State Highways 16 and 64.

DailyPress.com reports that a dump truck fully loaded with gravel lost a wheel and hit another vehicle in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Monday, November 8. One person sustained non-critical injuries and was hospitalized in the truck accident, which happened on I-264 westbound I-264 near Independence Boulevard. A police vehicle was also hit in the accident, but the officers were uninjured.

MyFoxHouston.com reports that a dump truck hit and killed a person (who might have been on a bicycle) the morning of Monday, November 8, in west Houston. The fatal truck accident happened at the intersection of Briar Forest Drive and Wilcrest Drive.

KIONRightNow.com reports that a semi truck backed over two workers in a lettuce field in Salinas, California, killing one of them, on Monday morning, October 18. The other man was hospitalized. The truck was delivering cardboard boxes to the field where the men were working. Both victims were wearing bright yellow vests meant to prevent just this kind of deadly truck accident.

WKYT.com reports that one person died in a fiery truck wreck involving a coal truck, a dump truck, and a cargo van. The accident happened on Wednesday, October 20, on Highway 80, west of London, in Laurel County, Kentucky. Police called it an “opposite direction side-swipe,” saying the cargo van side-swiped the dump truck, then smashed head-on into the coal truck, which caught fire, rolled down an embankment, and started a small forest fire. The van driver died, and the two other drivers were taken to local hospitals.

NJ.com reports that a driver was killed in an eight-vehicle truck wreck on the New Jersey Turnpike on Wednesday, October 20. Two big rigs, a dump truck, a box truck, a pickup truck, and three cars were involved in the crash, which happened south of interchange 13A in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The disaster began when a big rig driver failed to stop for slowing traffic and ran into the pickup, pushing it into two other tractor-trailers. The pickup burst into flames and its driver died as the crash kept pushing forward, involving more and more vehicles. At one point, traffic behind the truck wreck was snarled for 12 miles.

DetNews.com reports that a University of Michigan student died in a freak truck accident on Friday, October 22, in Detroit.  She was driving north on the M-39 near Curtis at about 2:30pm when the axle of a tanker truck heading the opposite direction broke. Two linked tires came off and hit another big rig before they bounced over the median and hit the victim’s car. She died at the scene.

SouthBendTribune.com reports that a semi-truck driver died early Saturday, October 23, after his truck hit another tractor-trailer in South Bend, Indiana. The first truck burst into flames soon after rear-ending the other big rig, which had been slowing for traffic on the Indiana Toll Road not far from the South Bend/Notre Dame exit. The rear-ended driver and his passenger were unharmed in the truck accident.

DesMoinesRegister.com reports that a dump truck hit and killed a man in a wheelchair at 8am Monday, October 25. The fatal truck accident happened at the intersection of Maury Street and Southeast 14th Street, near downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The driver said he’d failed to see the victim, who’d been crossing the street when he was killed.