Motorist causes chain reaction crash while turning head to cough

Troopers say motorist caused chain reaction crash involving semi trucks when he turned his head to cough

A motorist caused a chain reaction crash involving two semi trucks in California on Wednesday after the motorist turned his head to cough, troopers say. 

The crash happened just after 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8th on northbound Interstate 5 in Willows, California. 

According to California Highway Patrol – Willows, A motorist was heading north on I-5 just north of the Willows rest area when he turned his head to cough. The momentary distraction caused the four wheeler to crash into the back of a semi truck directly in front of him. 

The force of that collision disabled the car, including damage to the electrical system, and left it completely disabled without lights in the slow lane of traffic. The motorist was able to exit the car and walk to the shoulder of the freeway. 

A short time later, a second semi truck was unable to see the first crash and slammed into the wrecked car and trailer. That second crash left the second semi truck disabled in the slow lane of I-5 northbound as well. 

“Fortunately, in this case, all involved parties walked away without injury,” CHP Willows wrote in a Facebook post. “Remember, even natural bodily functions such as coughing can be dangerous distractions that result in tragedy.”