November 20 in Huehuetoca, State of Mexico. A major accident with a trailer brought major traffic jams to the Mexico-Querétaro Highway on Wednesday morning. Near the municipality of Huehuetoca in the State of Mexico, at kilometer 059+000 during the evening commute, a collision shut down a portion of the highway’s northbound lanes.
The accident started when a large trailer was en route to Mexico City. It appears the driver did not apply the brakes in time as the car neared Jorobas intersection which is one of the busiest stretches on the highway.
The trailer hit the side of the road and then crashed into several private vehicles and a pickup truck. Since the vehicle was pushed by the impact and the trailer is quite large, it ended up blocking all three north-south lanes in the morning and led to a lot of congestion and delayed travel.
While experts look into the full reasons for the accident, it appears that wet roads from previous rainfall might have made it difficult for the trailer to slow down. It is being considered if brake failure, speeding or fatigue might have influenced the car crash.
Paramedics, traffic police and tow services all arrived at the scene quickly. Some people were hurt by the blast, though there were no life-threatening injuries. The injured were recommended to be checked at local hospitals, just in case. Police helped organize traffic and created detours and teams were sent to remove the wreckage and get some lanes open.
Later in the same afternoon, an incident near Soyaniquilpan de Juárez again stopped traffic along the highway. A large amount of fuel came out of the vehicle, causing officials to block all the lanes in the area.
Professional hazmat crews came on site to address the spill and vehicles were held back to guarantee safety for those on the road. There were major traffic jams of many kilometers on both sides since authorities needed to handle the fuel and keep hazards from arising.
Because of these accidents, transportation officials are advising drivers to slow down in wet weather, use a healthy distance from big vehicles, keep their brakes checked and keep up-to-date with traffic news. Such accidents speak loud and clear about the dangers that come with poor visibility, slippery streets and when driving near trucks.
Investigators are still looking into both cases and aim to find the parties responsible and to prevent more such incidents. Official changes will be provided in the coming days after statements are released by Mexico’s transportation and safety departments.
