A pregnant woman, her unborn child and four others were treated for injuries following an accident involving an SUV and a semi truck at an Ohio rest stop. Emergency responders arrived at the scene and extricated the woman from the SUV.

According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, the expectant mother was airlifted to a local hospital where she and her fetus were treated for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening. The driver of the SUV and three child passengers were also taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries.

The 52-year-old driver of the 18-wheeler, which was parked at the time of the accident, was also injured, though he reportedly did not require medical attention.

According to the initial accident report, the SUV driver dozed off at the wheel, drifted from the Interstate and failed to reduce the vehicle’s speed before colliding with the tractor-trailer parked at the rest stop.

At the time of a news report, the Ohio Highway Patrol was still trying to determine whether criminal charges would be filed in connection with what appears to be a case of negligent driving.

Although all parties involved in this accident were very lucky, accidents involving semis are often much more serious and can cause severe injuries. The vast majority of truck drivers are careful operators and exercise due caution on the road. However, negligence on the part of semi drivers too often results in major crashes.

Readers in the Columbus area who have been injured in a car or truck accident will want to be aware of their rights under our state’s personal injury laws. If a driver’s negligence is the cause of an injury, then victims do not have to let their physical burdens turn into financial ones.

Source: recordpub.com, “Update: Family of 6 hurt in Edinburg crash (with gallery),” Thomas Gallick, May 3, 2012