An Auora man was serious injured in a suburban Chicago car accident involving a semi after a large block of ice flew off the top of the truck and slammed through the car’s windshield.
The Illinois trucking accident occurred when the westbound semi drove beneath an overpass, causing a sheet of ice to smash through the car windshield and into the driver.
“There was blood everywhere, pouring from my head, nose and my eye. I was scared that I was losing so much blood that I was going to die,” the victim told the Chicago Tribune.
The victim said he was headed to a daycare center his wife owns. He initially feared he was trapped by the large chunk of ice that landed in his lap but managed to push open the door and stumble away for help.
The truck driver continued west but other drivers stopped to help the man. The truck was described as a semi with a white trailer but witnesses were unable to provide a better description, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The DuPage sheriff’s office is investigating the accident and is asking anyone with information to contact deputies at (630) 407-2400. The sheriff issued a bulletin of one safety precaution drivers can take to help protect themselves: leave plenty of room when following a commercial vehicle, especially in bad weather.
The victim suffered serious injuries to his face that threaten his sight, including a shattered orbital bone beneath his eye socket, glass in his eye and cuts to his lid and iris. He is at home recovering after surgery this week.
New Jersey recently passed a law allow for fines for vehicles with a dangerous accumulation of snow. Safety advocates are pushing for a similar law in Illinois. A spokesman for the Mid-West Truckers Association told the Tribune no such law exists for semis because there is no safe way to remove it. Clean off a trailer, would require the driver to climb 13 1/2 feet in the air and walk on snow and ice on the top of a truck.
“There might be more opportunity for accidents if individuals were required to climb on top of a truck,” he said.
The victim said he believes the semi driver is responsible for his injuries.