Throughout the state of Pennsylvania, dump trucks are commonly used to transport material from one place to another. Until switched on, the bed on the heavy piece of equipment generally stays flat. Despite its weight, when it collides with another object any occupants of the vehicle may still be hurt.

The driver of a dump truck was injured one morning earlier this week when the bed of his truck collided with a highway overpass. The accident occurred outside of Pittsburgh on U.S. Route 119, in White Township.

After the accident, the man who was behind the wheel of the truck was transported to the Indiana Regional Medical Center. According to authorities at the hospital, the man was released after receiving treatment. Though presumably his injuries were not serious, the nature of his injuries is unknown.

It is not known whether the collision caused any damage to the overpass known as Airport Road.

There are many different reasons that car accidents occur. Sometimes it is due to negligence on the part of the driver behind the wheel. This negligence may take the shape of driving while drowsy, or distracted driving. Other times, equipment defects are to blame. In this case it is unclear as to why the bed of the truck began to rise as the man drove the truck. It is also unknown whether there was anything in the bed at the time of the incident.

Whatever the cause of this incident, it is important to remember that while often portrayed as the “bad guy” when trucks are involved in accidents, they are not always at fault. In addition, truck drivers are sometimes injured as well. In these cases they have rights too.

Source: The Republic, “Driver hurt when dump truck’s bed lifts, hits western Pa. overpass; accident investigated,” The Associated Press, Jan. 24, 2012