How does this happen?

It happened because there isn't a roundabout there. And of course the Mazda driver not paying attention.

Speed and momentum overcame the static weight of the truck. I hope they charge the driver with homicide for negligence

Why do they rarely share whether a seatbelt was worn or not? I didn't see it mentioned in that article.

That Mazda must have been flying to do that much damage. Very tragic for the girl and her family - she had her whole life ahead of her.

Like the dump truck driver, I always scan both ways before pulling out in to an intersection as my light turns green. I actually watch the crossing traffic prior to my light changing, so I know ahead if it's going to be clear or not. People in Spokane are really bad about pushing the limit on traffic lights.... far worse than the Pierce County vicinity (Tacoma, Puyallup, WA) where I moved from a few years ago.

This is one lesson to instill in new drivers.... watch for traffic before entering an intersection when you get the green light.

its mechanics/ physics ... the right front wheel assembly was broken off.. the remaining broken front suspension.. dug into the pavement, that corner of the truck being LOWER ... and momentum pushed the truck over.


very sad. young lost of Life. I always LOOK both ways... even with a green light.

with cell phones, texting, big deal radios/CD music... more than ever.

I believe that the air bag deployment is triggered by weight! Empty front seat no belt warning light, put about 20# on the seat and the seat belt warning light comes on and the bag is activated.

Yes, Very Tragic crash,you wondering if running the light was due to the driver being distracted, or intentional.

What a terrible tragedy, so young.
Air bags are disabled in modern vehicles when seat belts are not buckled. The thinking is that in most crashes the exploding bag will injure worse than an unbuckled interior impact.
The manufacturers can tell in a lawsuit investigation whether or not the belts were buckled if a claimant states that they should have gone off. They scan the black box and bingo, there is the evidence. I have been involved in some of these cases when somebody is looking for an early retirement.
The bags do not go off in every crash even when the occupants are buckled properly unless the forward motion will put the occupant into the protection zone. 3/4 impacts will not trigger them unless side airbags are also in the mix.
Cars and trucks are safer now than ever, but dumb humans can still kill one another by doing dumb stuff like running red lights.
That family will be changed forever, what a shame.

Trucks have a high center of gravity and are more prone to fill than a car. The car was traveling at a high rate of speed and when it hit truck it probably lifted the truck up as it went under it.

Very tragic and sad. I have a teenager who will get his license in two months and it scares me not knowing what will happen when he driving on his own. All we can do is coach and train our kids to drive responsibly and put the rest in Gods hands.

Make sure you wear you seatbelt, the airbags don't work well without the seatbelts.