Cullman, AL : Tractor trailer accident stalls traffic on Tuesday, 6th September 2016

A two-vehicle accident in south Cullman Tuesday shut down rush-hour traffic along Cherokee Avenue and sent the driver of a tractor trailer to the hospital.

According to the Cullman Police Department (CPD), the wreck occurred at approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Cherokee Avenue and 24th Street, in front of the National Guard Armory.

The driver of the tractor trailer, 53 year-old David Desouza of Madison, was transported by

ambulance to Cullman Regional with non life-threatening injuries. Desouza was hauling an empty Walmart trailer with a privately-leased cab, said police.

The driver of the second vehicle, 78 year-old Jack Hess, Jr. of Cullman, was not injured. Hess was driving a recent-model Hyundai Genesis and was the vehicle’s only occupant.

Both men were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, said police.

CPD patrol officer Joey Duncan said Desouza, who was traveling northbound on Cherokee Avenue, swerved in an attempt to avoid hitting Hess, who had committed to making a left turn across traffic eastbound onto 24th Street.

“When they hit, the truck went about 150 feet into the woods after it made contact. The truck was traveling northbound on Cherokee, and went across both southbound lanes of travel into the wooded area. The trailer came to rest about 90 feet into the woods, from the edge of woods,” said Duncan.

“With a semi truck in that situation, you have to call in a special type of wrecker and it complicates the response at the scene a little bit, and it was about a two-hour traffic delay. We had to shut down all four lanes of traffic.”

While neither driver sustained life threatening injury, Duncan said the wreck exemplifies the need for caution when making left turns across oncoming traffic.

“We really want to remind everybody to always pay attention and to check traffic before making a left turn,” he said. “This accident looked bad in terms of damage, but in terms of injury or loss of life, it easily could have been much worse.”

Source :
Tractor trailer accident stalls traffic