Highway Special Investigation Report: [Abstract]
Truck Parking Areas

Disclaimer: Simulations presented below used a scene diagram and a topographic map. Vehicles modeled utilized available truck models, are not scaled and actual vehicle properties will vary slightly from those used.

These simulations are of an accident that occurred on June 3, 1999 at about 6:10 am when a tractor semi-trailer ran off the right side of the road and vaulted into 3 other stopped trucks, on I-40, west of Jackson, Tennessee.

MPV animation  (11.2M)
Note: This simulation is large and could take over an hour to download!

This is an 84-second view of a tractor semi-trailer as it exits Interstate-40 westbound near Jackson, Tennessee and looks for a parking space to change drivers. No parking spaces are available so the truck continues in the rest area and stops along the acceleration ramp that goes back onto the Interstate, only to be struck several minutes later by an errant truck.

MPV animation (2.6M)

View of a truck as it runs off the right side of I-40 westbound, goes down an embankment and up another, where it vaults across the entrance ramp for the interstate into three parked semi-trailers.

MPV animation (2.6M)

This is a zoom view of the truck as it runs off the right side of I-40 westbound,, goes down an embankment and up another, where it vaults across the entrance ramp for the interstate into three parked semi-trailers. In addition an accelerated fire effect is added to indicate the spread of the fire to several of the vehicles.

The simulations were produced on an HVEtm system using EDSMAC4tm, EDVDStm,and EDGENtm programs. All of the programs are trademarks of the Engineering Dynamics Corporation. In addition ReadDataFiles by Collision Engineering Associates, Inc. was used for the collision of vehicles and 3-D Studio by Autodesk was used to develop a fire overlay.