Illinois Tractor Trailer Crash Kills Teen, Injures Another
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Tags: trucking,
semi truck,
tractor trailer,
accident,
crash,
collision,
michael symmonds,
dillon eighner,
rankin,
illinois,
emmett fischel,
langdon & emison,
brett emison,
kent emison,
bob langdon,
truck The News-Gazette has reported that Michael Symmonds of Rankin, Illinois was killed early Thursday morning when a tractor trailer crashed into the pickup truck in which he was a passenger. The crash also injured the driver of pickup, Dillon Eighner.
Our hearts go out to the families of these young men and the Rankin, Illinois community. Friends described Symmonds as "the heart of the boys' basketball team and the school."
It's all about respect, integrity, responsibility and having pride in our school and community. If there was one person who embodied that, it was Michael. He was all about school spirit and being positive. He was like a hero in our building.
According to police, Eighner lost control of the vehicle and spun into the oncoming lane of traffic, where his pickup truck was hit by a tractor trailer.
According to a state police report, Eighner was driving a 1996 Chevrolet S-10 pickup east on Illiinois 9. About one-third of a mile east of County Road 1300 East, he crossed into the westbound lane and veered to the north side of the road.
Eighner got back ontot he road, but skidded out of control, the report said. The pickup was struck by an oncoming 2005 Peterbuilt semi, driven by 71 year-old Emmett Fischel of Clayton, Indiana. He wasn't injured.
This tragedy shows the destructive power of tractor trailer accidents. Both young men were wearing seat belts and likely would have been uninjured had it not been for the semi truck. The News-Gazette did not report as to how much warning time the oncoming semi truck had before colliding with the boys' pickup truck. The News-Gazette also did not indicate if the tractor trailer attempted to brake or swerve out of the way before hitting the boys.
Truck drivers must be extra careful because of the size, weight and force of semi trucks. Semi trucks can weigh more than 80,000 pounds while the average passenger car only weights 3,000 pounds. You can learn more about trucking safety and trucking accident dangers at this recent post.
Michael Symmonds' death is truly a tragedy and he will be missed by family and friends:
"This isn't something that will go away soon," [counselors] said. "We'll be dealing with this for a while, and that's OK. We need to try to get back on track, but we've got to be sensitive and make sure we're available to these young people."
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"There are som many things about Michael that makes us smile," aunt Robin Eighner said, speaking on behalf of relatives. "He loved to play jokes on his family and friends. ... He was friendly to everyone he met. He didn't know a stranger."
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"Michael was truly an inspriration," Robin Eighner said. "Although he had limitations, he did not let that keep him from living his life to the fullest. He didn't want to sit back and watch. he wanted to be an active participant."