CLEVELAND — A civil engineering expert offered insight Tuesday into the fatal state Route 8 tanker truck crash, all as 3News learned new details about the driver and the company he was working for when he fell off the on-ramp bridge entering I-271 north in Macedonia.
Elias Ali is an assistant professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at Case Western Reserve University. He says, in general, there are four types of concrete barriers used to help keep drivers on the roads, and they vary depending on how much traffic those areas see and how heavy the vehicles are that most often drive through.
According to Ali, the barrier on the ramp to I-271 where the crash occurred is the stronger barrier among them, designed to withstand 54 kips, or 54,000 pounds of force.
"The main function is actually to divert these trucks from going off the bridge [and] trying to divert these vehicles back to the road," Ali said. "That impact load for the designing of the barrier — the 54 kips load — is way smaller compared to what just happened with this accident."
The vehicle's weight, height, length, speed, and steering all factor into how the vehicle responds to an impact with the barrier. Officials say the truck in the Route 8 crash was carrying 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel.
"These barriers, keep in mind, they're not perfect," Ali noted. "It's just to try to bring the vehicle back to the road, not entirely to stop them."
Ali says the barriers on the impacted bridge are standard and from what he can tell there are no structural issues, though the Ohio Department of Transportation continues its in-depth inspection of the bridge while the Summit County Sheriff's Office looks into the crash itself.
"Adding a guard rail, that might help," Ali added. "Reducing the speed on that steep downgrade section of the ramp, that might help."
We're also learning more about Jason Stevens from Ashtabula County, who died in the wreck. The 31-year-old husband and father was a truck driver for Kenan Advantage Group, based in North Canton.
The company said its thoughts and prayers are with Stevens' family, friends, and co-workers, writing:
"Our primary concern has always been for the safety and security of our employees, the public, our customers, and the environment. This is an exceedingly difficult time for our organization as this tragedy impacts all of us in the KAG family.
"We have been working closely with local officials and corresponding agencies and will continue to do so in the days ahead. We would like to thank all the first responders for their immediate response to this incident."