Posted on April 9, 2009 by Scott Grossman

New Jersey Senator Introduces Bill aimed at Truck Accident Prevention

A new bill announced by Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) promises to not just reduce the truck accident rate around the country, but also contribute to the preservation and maintenance of our highways. The bill, called the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act of 2009 will extend weight limits on triple trailers to the entire National Highway System, all 160,000 miles of it. That includes smaller national highways and interstate highways. Currently, restrictions on truck size and weight - which are 53 feet for length and 80,000 pounds for weight - are in place for the Interstate Highway System which stretches about 44,000 miles.  If the bill is passed, tractor trailers which extend those weight and size limits, will not be allowed on 160,000 miles of highway.

The bill has already found strong support from the Teamsters Union, the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association as well as New Jersey truck accident lawyers.

There are already far too many serious and fatal accidents involving these large commercial trucks on our highways. Many of these result in life altering injuries like spinal cord injuries and brain injuries  that not only rob the victim of his life as it was before the accident, but also end up heavily straining the public healthcare system, and consequently, our economy. Our existing transportation infrastructure is already bursting at the seams, and is in need of substantial renovation and repairs. With a recession in full swing, finding the money to improve existing highways is going to be hard. Allowing heavier and larger trucks into the situation would simply aggravate an already stressful truck traffic situation.

We can expect opposition from the trucking industry which  would like nothing better than to introduce larger, bulkier trucks capable of carrying bigger loads.  Bigger trucks would make more business sense to these companies, and lead to higher profits. However, it would place smaller passenger vehicles around the country at an even greater risk than the one they face now while sharing the road with a big rig. Besides, the bill would contribute to savings in highway repairs, because of the reduced wear and tear on our roads, thereby preventing other accidents as well..

 

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Posted on January 14, 2009 by Scott Grossman

Truck Triggers Multi Vehicle Accident in Union Township, NJ

More than 48 hours after a seven-vehicle accident along Interstate 78 on Monday that was triggered off by a dump truck, New Jersey state police are continuing their probe into the crash that killed two women. 

The chain reaction crash, was apparently set off when a dump truck, for as yet unknown reasons, crossed the center divider and over from the westbound to the eastbound lanes, eventually toppling over. As the dump truck rolled over, it struck a tractor trailer, and mounds of dirt from the truck began to spill across the lanes. A tire from the tractor trailer got dislodged, and its tire struck an incoming Hyundai. The driver of the Hyundai, Northampton resident Laura Hibbler was killed in the crash. The driver of a Toyota Corolla that also collided against the truck, East Brunswick resident Janet Adamko sustained fatal injuries in the multi vehicle accident. Adamko was returning after spending the 10th anniversary of her older sister's death at her parent's place. For her parents, the two-day period between 11th and 12th of January will now mark the deaths of both their daughters. It's an unimaginable tragedy, and my heart goes out to the Adamko family, and the Hibblers.

Police say they don’t believe alcohol was a factor in the crash, and the driver of the dump truck has not yet been charged. The company that owns the dump truck, Fusella Group hasn't yet made a statement. Investigators are currently examining the dump truck as well as the tractor trailer to look for any mechanical malfunction that might have caused the crash.

We can expect more details to come out when a comprehensive examination of the truck is complete. In a collision involving a truck, a probe will almost always look into the mechanical condition of the truck at the time of the accident. Often, trucking companies can scrimp on periodic inspections of their truck, which can lead to the truck being involved in potentially deadly accidents. Maintenance of the truck, including a complete tuning of the tires, brakes, lights reflectors, and steering wheel mechanisms is an important part of running a safe fleet. Worn out parts must be replaced if necessary, to avoid the possibility of a mechanical malfunction leading to severe crash. In case of truck accident liability litigation, a truck accident lawyer may also conduct his own independent investigations of the truck, including looking at maintenance records to ascertain if the poor condition of the truck was responsible for the accident.

 

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