Distracted driving was the cause of a truck accident that occurred on Route 422 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania last week. The cause of the distracted driving was a seemingly innocuous activity, eating an apple. And, the result of the distracted driving, the truck crash, may have saved the semi driver's life.

The trucker was driving down Route 422 near Philadelphia when the driver decided to eat behind the wheel. The trucker began to eat an apple and then started to choke. According to the trucker, the choking caused him to black out and the truck crashed into the concrete barrier that separates the highway lanes. The impact of the truck caused concrete to fly into oncoming traffic, and the impact from the crash also dislodged the piece of apple the trucker was choking on.

Witnesses of the swerving truck say they saw a driver slumped over the wheel before the crash and police say they found a piece of eaten apple on the dashboard of the truck after the accident. The truck accident is still under investigation but police say the trucker's story of choking on an apple checks out so far. The truck accident did not cause any fatalities.

Truckers in the area who heard about the crash were divided about eating while behind the wheel. One driver said that stopping and taking time to eat takes away from being on the road and making money, and another driver said she was glad the driver did not choke to death. A third driver said the driver should have been more careful. The driver said he takes time to stop and eat because he does not want to be distracted while behind the wheel.

Source: kplctv.com, "Crash forces apple from choking truck drivers' throat," 3/30/11