Orange Cement Mixer

The accident occurred at 2:30 Wednesday Afternoon between Washington and Union, Missouri.

Highway 47 was shut down in both directions for hours as investigators cleared the scene.

According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, a small orange vehicle was stopped to make a left turn when the driver of a white Ford Escape, 78-year-old Elizabeth Pennington, was not paying attention, and plowed into the back of it–pushing the orange vehicle, driven by Jared Gandy, 34, into oncoming southbound traffic.

A concrete mixer truck traveling southbound was unable to avoid colliding with the Gandy’s vehicle. The concrete mixer collided head-on into the orange car.

Jared Gandy was transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Washington, where he died from his injuries.

The concrete truck was not full, still it was heavy.

Accident witness Adriene Benne told Fox St. Louis, “I was extremely shocked these cars were mangled like no other. It was terrible.”

At least four tow trucks arrived on the scene. It took two to remove the concrete truck from the side of the road.

Cement Mixer Truck Accidents

Cement mixers vary greatly in size. They can weigh up to to 30, 000 lbs and can haul up to another 30, 000 pounds of wet concrete.

The incredible weight is significant to cement mixer truck accidents in several key ways:

• A cement mixer truck hauling a full load of concrete is already difficult to stop quickly. If a driver is not paying attention, or texting while driving, it would be nearly impossible to stop in a short distance.

• The significant weight of the vehicle not only affects stopping distance but it also affects the vehicle’s handling. Rollover accidents are common with concrete trucks.

• The truck’s axles and other equipment are under tremendous stress–especially when the cement mixer truck is loaded to any degree. As such, drivers are required to perform regular inspections to ensure that the equipment is working properly.