The accident happened after 6am at Yellowstone, shutting down all inbound lanes. Authorities reopened the highway two hours later after a heavy wrecker rmoved the overturned rig.
Accident investigators say the driver of the big rig tried to avoid hitting a driver in front of him after the tire of a Chevrolet Malibu blew out.
"When he hit his brakes, the vehicle, the 18-wheeler jack-knifed," said Sgt. S.A. Perez with the Houston Police Department. "The trailer went over the vehicle and as he continued, his momentum he went over a green Pontiac."
The woman inside the Pontiac apparently called her cousin right after the accident and said the 18-wheeler literally fell from the sky.
The truck driver, who works for Sunburst Truck Line, was too shaken to do an interview on camera, but he says it happened so quickly that he's not even sure he was able to finish his prayer before his truck landed on the car.
"We haven't determined what speed he was going," said Sgt. Perez.
Many drivers whose morning commute took them along 288 northbound were stuck. Some traveled on the grassy median to get around.
Right now, investigators say no one has been issued a citation. The two people who were inside the vehicles that were run over by the 18-wheeler are both expected to be released from the hospital today.
Live traffic map of the area | Highway 288 Transtar JamCams
QUICK HEADLINES | MORE TRAFFIC | GET NEWS ALERTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABC13 SOCIAL NETWORKING
Find us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | More social networking
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE FROM ABC13
ABC13 widget | Most popular stories |
Street-level weather
ABC13 wireless |
Slideshow archive |
Help solve crimes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
