A total of 11 people were injured and 33 vehicles damaged in a terrifying incident involving a runaway semi truck that locals say could have actually ended up worse. Although one person was airlifted to hospital in critical condition, no fatalities have been recorded as a result of the accident that took place in Tooele, Utah.
Police believe that the accident occurred after a semi truck‘ brakes failed, causing it to barrel down the city’s Main Street. Although the truck damaged 33 vehicles, the driver appears to have done their best to avoid more carnage.
As can be seen in dashcam footage published by KSL, the truck’s driver seems to have been trying to avoid vehicles stopped at intersections. However, the speed of the truck made it impossible to avoid every driver on the road.
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Tony Garner, one of the people who was hit by the truck, said he felt lucky to be alive after the accident. “I closed my eyes and said my prayers. I didn’t think I was going to see my kids, my family, so… yeah,” said Garner. “It was just so chaotic and so scary.”
Fortunately, as many as 22 of the damaged vehicles weren’t being driven at the time of the accident. That’s because the truck eventually veered off the road and into a Ford dealership. Although it was a beautiful day, employees say that no one was in the yard looking at vehicles at the time of the accident.
However, the developments didn’t end there. The truck eventually ran into the dealership’s main building and caught fire. Miraculously, the truck’s driver did not suffer any serious injuries in the incident, and no one in the building was hurt, either.
Tooele police, some of whom just happened to be on the scene at the time of the accident, were able to quickly help people who were involved in the accident out of their cars. Early estimates indicated that the cleanup would take several days to complete as a result of the number of vehicles involved.
“Today’s incident was indeed a tragic event, and many in our community have been profoundly affected by it,” said Tooele Mayor Debbie Winn. “As we move forward, it is imperative that we continue to work together to prevent such accidents and enhance the safety of our community. I am committed to supporting any measures that can help mitigate the risk of such incidents in the future.”