Posted on April 2, 2009 by Scott Grossman

Person Killed in Truck-Car-Van Accident in Roxbury

 

At least one person was killed and several others injured in an accident involving a truck, a car and a van on Interstate 80 near Roxbury. The accident that took place last week is currently under investigation.  The deceased was an occupant of the car involved in the crash. According to police, he was ejected from his seat when the accident occurred.

The crash involved a tractor trailer, besides the car and a 15-commuter van, and ended with the tractor trailer flipping over. The trailer was loaded with steel beams, and these were strewn all over the highway although we don’t know yet if the other two vehicles struck the tractor trailer or the steel beams. No one in the van seems to have suffered serious injuries.

 

 

It's too early to determine the series of events that resulted in this accident. It appears as though the overturned tractor trailer set off the collision of the car and the passenger van. It's easy to understand how that might happen. In an accident involving a tractor trailer, motorists in the vicinity tend to panic and frantically try to avoid hitting the large truck. This can lead to multi-vehicle crashes as drivers around lose control of their cars trying to avoid the massive vehicle. A tractor trailer can also overturn when there is a shift in its center of gravity or when there is loss of control by the driver. There can be a number of reasons why the center of gravity shifts. For instance, a minor collision can cause a shift leading to the truck toppling over. A tire blowout because of defective tires can also send the large truck careening out of control, and eventually overturning. Besides, driving at unsafe speeds can cause the vehicle to flip over. A truck accident can also end up creating an explosive situation when there is a fuel spill after the accident. This places other motorists on the road at an even greater danger.

Police investigating the case are likely to begin by probing the reasons for the truck rollover.  This includes conducting drug alcohol testing on the driver, determining his speed at the time of the crash, and inspecting the truck for signs of improper maintenance. Persons injured in a truck accident caused due to the negligence or reckless driving of the truck driver can claim damages with the help of a truck accident lawyer who can determine the extent of liability.

 

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Posted on March 28, 2009 by Scott Grossman

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Truck Driver Arraigned For Role in Accident

A truck driver who was reportedly high on marijuana during a truck accident when he drove his truck into incoming traffic in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and caused a series of accidents that killed three people, has been arraigned. 

Sheraz Khan is accused of being under the influence of drugs on September 11, 2008 when he allowed his 18-wheeler to get out of control and veer across several lanes of traffic and into the outbound lanes of Interstate 295 in Cherry Hill. The tractor trailer struck a Volkswagen driven by Texas resident Lawrence M. Wright, and a refrigerator box truck driven by Philadelphia resident Juma Rajab. Both were killed in the crash. Also killed was Renee Lesenko who was a passenger in the box truck. The tractor trailer was hauling heavy machinery at the time of the accident. Khan did not suffer any injuries in the crash. Camden County prosecutors claim that Khan was speeding at the time of the accident, as reported by witnesses. He also didn't seem to have made any effort to slam the brakes just before he struck the first car. Khan was arrested in January of this year.

Collisions with tractor trailers can have serious consequences for smaller cars. These are massive vehicles that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and the force of impact can be sufficient to cause severe injuries or even death. Drivers of tractor trailers have lower speed limits than other vehicles because they are harder to maneuver in the case of an emergency. Besides keeping within their speed limits, drivers must also avoid driving under intoxication or while fatigued, because of the risk this poses to motorists around the truck.  

Monmouth County Truck Accident Attorneys

Victims of a tractor trailer or other large truck accident can file a claim for damages against the trucking company that employed the driver of the truck. A Monmouth county truck accident lawyer will determine a claim amount based on the severity of the injuries, as well as the kind of and number of factors that were possible for the crash. For instance, the driver's log records will have to be inspected to rule out the role of driver fatigue, and fleet maintenance records will have to be probed to see if there was a truck malfunction at the time of the accident. 

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Posted on February 11, 2009 by Scott Grossman

New Jersey Truckers Oppose New Bill to Reduce Falling Ice Accidents

 A seemingly minor problem, but one that can cause serious injury to New Jersey motorists driving in the vicinity of an 18 wheeler in winter, will be dealt with by a new bill released by the Assembly Transportation Committee.

The bill, S520 will require all motorists to remove snow and ice from their vehicles before they begin to drive. Sponsored by Senator Nicholas J. Saco (D) the bill applies to both commercial as well as non commercial vehicles, and allows police to pull over motorists whose vehicles are not snow and ice free. Motorists will be required to remove snow and ice from the hood, trunk as well as the roof the vehicle. Although the bill is targeted at all motorists, it is especially relevant in the case of large trucks, like 18 wheelers. A single inch of snow on the roof of an 18 wheeler can weigh as much as 2000 pounds, and the consequences for motorists around the big rig, who are unfortunate enough to suffer the impact of falling ice and snow from the big rig, can be serious. Large slabs of ice falling off a semi could be not only heavy enough to cause vehicle damage, but also injury to drivers and passengers in these smaller cars.

As you may expect, the trucking industry has a problem with the rule, like they seem to do with just about any other legislation that aims to make motorists on the road safe from the special dangers these big rigs pose. They argue that it would simply take too much time to clean their large 18 wheelers of ice before a driver begins to operate the vehicle. Besides, they claim, Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules don’t allow drivers to climb aboard a 13-foot high 18 wheeler.

Bergen County truck accident lawyers like me have always been exasperated by the trucking industry's petulance every time any legislation that requires them to make the slightest effort to improve the safety of their vehicles, makes an appearance. Such behavior should not come in the way of this bill being passed.  There are ways for the trucking fraternity to deal with the minor problems they may face enforcing any such legislation, and the industry should  be making efforts to look at how they can best comply with these rules instead of complaining.

 

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