Highway Accident Report: Multiple Vehicle Crossover Accident, Slinger, Wisconsin, February 12, 1997

NHTSA · 1998 · ROSA P / United States. National Transportation Safety Board

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Summary

This National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report investigates a fatal multiple-vehicle crossover accident that occurred on February 12, 1997, on U.S. Route 41 near Slinger, Wisconsin. The incident involved a doubles truck, a flatbed truck, a passenger van, and a refrigerator truck, resulting in eight fatalities and one serious injury. The investigation was motivated by the severity of the crash and several critical safety issues, including the judgment and experience of the doubles truck driver, the stability of doubles trucks, the effectiveness of snow and ice removal, the adequacy of median barrier warrants, the capture of cross-median accident data, and the use of occupant restraints. The accident sequence began when a Consolidated Freightways doubles truck with empty trailers lost control on icy roadways and crossed the 50-foot depressed median into southbound lanes. A southbound McFaul Transport flatbed truck collided with the doubles truck, lost control, and crossed back into the northbound lanes. A northbound passenger van carrying nine adults struck and underrode the flatbed truck’s landing gear, while a northbound Glandt/Dahlke refrigerator truck struck the flatbed’s rear. The NTSB investigation analyzed driver statements, witness accounts, vehicle damage, toxicological tests, and roadway conditions. Investigators noted that although snow had ceased, black ice and blowing snow created hazardous conditions. The doubles driver reported feeling trailer fishtails earlier in the trip but continued at speeds between 30 and 55 mph. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident was the doubles truck driver’s lack of judgment in driving too fast for the truck’s configuration under hazardous weather conditions. The report found that the driver failed to adequately reduce speed or stop despite recognizing deteriorating road conditions. Contributing to the high fatality rate was the lack of restraint use by the unrestrained occupants of the passenger van; eight of the nine van occupants died, while the sole survivor was restrained. The report also highlighted systemic issues, noting that the median barrier warrants established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials were inadequate for preventing such crossovers, and that state accident report forms failed to adequately capture cross-median accident data. The significance of this report lies in its comprehensive safety recommendations aimed at preventing similar tragedies. The NTSB issued recommendations to multiple entities, including the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, various trucking associations, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Key recommendations focused on improving the stability of doubles trucks, enhancing snow and ice removal protocols, revising median barrier warrants, improving accident reporting forms to better track cross-median incidents, and enforcing mandatory seat belt use laws. The report underscores the critical need for improved driver training regarding vehicle stability in adverse conditions and the life-saving importance of occupant restraints in high-impact collisions.

Key finding

The doubles truck driver's excessive speed on icy roads caused the initial loss of control, and the unrestrained occupants of the passenger van suffered fatal injuries due to the crash severity.

Methodology

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Provenance

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Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes