State police out of Clearfield report that 26-year-old Khagendra Poudel was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on I-80 at around 8:25 p.m. Friday, March 3 near the Woodland exit, mile marker 123. . .
Investigators reported that a man was driving a tractor-trailer west on I-80 when the sleet and icy road conditions caused the truck to jackknife across both lanes. Poudel was a passenger in a 2020 Subaru Forester that ended up crashing into the trailer of the truck. One dead after wintry tractor-trailer crash on I-80
State police say the driver of the tractor-trailer lost control on the sleet-covered roadway, causing it to jackknife across both lanes of traffic.
State police also said that the driver of the other vehicle was not able to stop in time from hitting the back of the trailer. PSP: one person dead after vehicle vs. tractor-trailer in Clearfield Co.
Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.
Khagendra Poudel, Precious One Gone Too Soon
See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)
Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.
Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.
Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what could potentially be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.
We are asking that people send us crash reports for collisions with trucks which they suspect involved underride. Send them to marianne@annaleahmary.com. We will submit these as complaints to USDOT. Read more here: Launching a Campaign To Flood NHTSA With Underride Complaint Reports.
