SALT LAKE CITY — A truck driver is in critical condition after being crushed between two semis while on the job at a Salt Lake City company.
While he is hospitalized, Shawn Peterson's family is upset about the lack of response from Saia Trucking following the August 19 incident, sharing how it is only adding insult to his injuries.
During the accident, Peterson wound up pinned between two big rigs. The father of four is now fighting for his life, but his family wants to know why they’ve heard next to nothing from a company he’s worked for nearly a decade.
It all started as just another shift for Peterson. His father-in-law, Jeff Fuller, explained how Shawn was checking his own trailer and getting ready to hit the road when another driver apparently started backing into the same spot.
“Happened in a millisecond!" said Fuller. "Shawn realized there was imminent danger, of course, and he was hollering, from what we understand, at the driver to stop!”
But it was dark, and the other driver was more than 50 feet away. Fuller said it's possible they had their windows up and the air-conditioning on.
“At that time I guess a couple of guys in the yard had seen what happened and were attending to Shawn. And from what we understand, he was still coherent, still conscious that kind of thing, in a daze," explained Fuller.
Since the accident, Fuller has heard only bits and pieces of what occurred from Shawn’s coworkers. They told him paramedics arrived quickly, stabilized his son-in-law and rushed him to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.
Peterson was initially treated for massive internal injuries before the family then received additional news.
“With that was the major spinal cord damage that we have come to find out has left him paralyzed," Fuller shared.
The incident has left the family reeling as Peterson is the sole provider for his family, which includes a two-month-old who just got out of intensive care. Fuller said they have a strong family support system and recently started a GoFundMe to help.
Fuller said they’ve heard next to nothing from Saia.
“There’s been very little, very little communication,” he claimed.
According to Fuller, someone from the company stopped by the hospital to drop off Shawn‘s personal items, like his lunchbox and cell phone, but nothing more.
“We’ve had no phone calls; we’ve had no, ‘Hey, how’s he doing?" said Fuller. "Accidents happen; we understand that, we’re not blaming anybody in particular. It’s a very unfortunate situation that I think he deserves a little more attention, especially from his company.”
Saia did share a statement with FOX 13 News, saying their "thoughts are with our employee and their family. We are focused on supporting them while cooperating with the appropriate authorities as we review the circumstances surrounding the incident."
