One Person is Killed in Virginia Beach Cement Mixer Truck Accident
We were saddened to read about a fatal Virginia Beach cement mixer truck accident this week on Oceana Boulevard.
Virginia Beach Police investigated a fatal two-vehicle accident in Virginia Beach on Thursday morning.
Police said the wreck occurred shortly before 11 a.m. in the 100 block of Oceana Boulevard. It shut down Oceana Boulevard in both directions from Bells Road to the curve near Louisa Avenue, according to media reports. The scene was not clear until just before 3 p.m.
Few details were released about this accident but video from the scene revealed one of the vehicles involved in the wreck was a cement mixer truck. Scant details were released about the wreck but police confirmed one motorist was killed in a two-vehicle wreck. Our thoughts are with the family of the victim in this tragic accident.
Police have not released details of the vehicles involved or revealed if any changes were forthcoming.
However, we know cement mixers are one of the most dangerous types of vehicle on the roads of Virginia.
Virginia Beach Cement Mixer Truck Accident – Cement Trucks Are Dangerous Vehicles
Some cities with lots of building work going on experience numerous fatal and serious cement mixer truck crashes. These vehicles suffer from the following flaws.
- Poor Visibility: Cement mixer trucks have significant blind spots. Often the driver may not be aware of traffic in close proximity. Cement trucks share this flaw with dump trucks and garbage trucks. These blind spots create an even greater potential for accidents if passenger vehicles get close to a dump truck.
- Truck Instability: Cement mixer trucks and heavy vehicles like dump trucks do not have the same center of gravity as passenger vehicles. They are high and can topple over in high winds, if a curve is taken at a fast speed, or during mechanical malfunctions.
- Driver Error: A cement mixer truck is only as good as its driver. The trucking industry suffers from a chronic shortage of drivers and inexperienced drivers may be behind the wheel of a complex piece of machinery.
Cement mixers and heavy trucks, especially if they are loaded with weighted equipment, can be highly unstable and dangerous to be around.
We have seen lives lost in cement truck accidents in Hampton Roads. In 2016, the driver of a cement mixer was killed at I-64 in Lee Hall in the construction zone.
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a crash with a cement mixer truck, there may be grounds to sue the truck’s owner and operator. Please call our experienced Virginia Beach truck accident injury team at (757) 455-0077.
