Commercial Truck Accident

Published on: April 23, 2012

Perils at Lexington School, Reports New York Tuck Accident Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

Students at a Lexington South Carolina School found themselves in a dangerous situation last Tuesday.

The witness said that the trouble began around 7:00 on Tuesday morning, when a semi truckcarrying almost 9 thousand gallons of gasoline on North Lake Drive overturned in the road in the Sunset Boulevard area, spilling almost 500 gallons of its load onto the road and into the surrounding brush.

Lexington Middle School, which is located approximately 1500 feet away from the site of the spill, was immediately put on high alert by two Lexington County Police Officers who were filling up their patrol vehicle at a Hess gasoline station within site of the accident when the 18 wheeler flipped.

Published on: April 21, 2012

A 15-year veteran at the New York City Department of Sanitation filed a complaint

by Stephen Bilkis

A 15-year veteran at the New York City Department of Sanitation filed a complaint arising from an accident where he sustained personal injuries. The complaint was filed against the manufacturer of the garbage truck, the City of New York/Department of Sanitation, and a co-worker.

The action arises from an accident which occurred on September 15, 2005, at 10 A.M., in which the sanitation worker, was injured while performing his garbage collection duties on Staten Island. On that day, the sanitation worker was standing behind a garbage truck (Model 25-CU-041) and attempting to maneuver a scrap piece of wood into the hopper when the hopper appeared to self-activate, and his hand got caught on the wood thereby pulling both his arm and body into the hopper mechanism crushing his right hand and arm. At the time of the accident, he was working with a co-worker, who was seated in the driver’s compartment when the truck accident occurred.

According to sources, the vehicle in question was ordered from the manufacturer after a competitive bidding process. As a general rule, manufacturers are not consulted or otherwise involved in the drafting of the detailed specifications for the truck. The detailed specifications are provided by the City and the manufacturer is not allowed to deviate from those specifications.

Published on: April 19, 2012

Commercial Accidents Statistics Published by New York Truck Accident Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

Each year, a company publishes a collection of figures for the previous year’s accidents and collisions for Commercial Vehicles. The list also includes the stats for Tractor Trailer and Semi Truck accidents. After much anticipation, the numbers for 2010 are out, shedding light on the grim upturn in serious accidents involving commercial vehicles. During the last calendar year, accidents involving Commercial Vehicles numbered upwards of 500,000. One fifth of accidents resulted in significant injury for at least one person involved. The death rate for accidents was just at 1 percent, a markedly higher number than 2009, when only about .8 percent of collisions resulted in a fatality.

According to the source who released the numbers, these truck accidents will only increase over the coming years. The massive up-tick in accidents and collisions is a direct result of the increased number of commercial vehicles on the road. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that an increase of as much as 25 percent in the number of Commercial Vehicles on the Roadways is possible by the end of 2012.

The study pointed out that the increase presents a major problem for US traffic and criminal courts, which are already significantly backlogged with cases. He said that the extremely high number of cases which are settled out of court is a direct result of the agonizingly slow legal process involved for those in accidents. This problem is exacerbated by the notoriously long lag time required by insurance companies in Nassau and Suffolk to settle a suit.

Published on: April 16, 2012

Fatality in Canada; Remarks from a New York Truck Accident Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

Hope, Canada- A tragic truck accident involving three 18 wheeler trucks yesterday resulted in fatality, said a witness with details of the collision.

The accident, which occurred late in the evening on Highway 1 just north of the city of Hope, occurred during a heavy snowstorm that made for hazardous road conditions and low visibility. A truck which was carrying a shipment of timber across Emory Creek Bridge slid out around a bend in the road and crossed into oncoming traffic, where it immediately collided with another Commercial Truck headed in the opposite direction. The third truck, which was following the northbound truck, was unable to stop in time and collided with the other semis. The driver of the third truck sustained only mild injuries, and walked away from the scene of the accident. The drivers of the first and second trucks sustained more severe injuries and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The third person, who was a middle-aged male from western Canada and was a passenger in the second semi truck, lost his life in the accident.

Additional information about the truck accident is unavailable at this time. The source we spoke with said that there could be multiple contributing factors for an accident of this type, especially one involving a fatality, and officials are typically cautions in making a judgment, particularly when litigation could be possible. There is also no word yet on whether any of the drivers would be deemed at fault, and if criminal charges would be filed. In the Bronx and Brooklyn charges would be filed.

Published on: April 14, 2012

Truck Accident Could Bring Legal Troubles

by Stephen Bilkis

A routine morning trip to school turned into a tragedy on Tuesday morning outside of Louisville, when a dump-truck driver collided with the back of a school bus on its morning route. Thirteen students from the Jefferson County Public School System, along with the driver of their bus, were injured and transported to local area hospitals for treatment, reported a source who is connected to the case. The bus was traveling north on Interstate 65, and the truck accident occurred in the vicinity of the Watterson Expressway.

Kosair Children’s Hospital received the injured children, all of whom were from 6 to 9 years old. Doctors at the hospital said that the students were suffering from minor back pain and mild neck injuries. While many of the students were taken directly to the hospital, others were taken on to school. Of the group that actually arrived at the school, many subsequently reported head and neck pain and were taken to the hospital as well. The Lawyer reporting on the case mentioned that these injuries are characteristic of a highway speed collision, and alluded to the fact that these types of truck accidents can frequently be more deadly.

Additional information about the accident was not available at the time of this article’s publication, pending the completion of the investigation. Police have not indicated whether the driver of the dump truck will be charged with a crime, although a witness said it was likely in a case like this that criminal charges could be filed. These accidents are uncommon in Staten Island and New York City.

Published on: April 9, 2012

Overturned Logger Could be Trouble

by Stephen Bilkis

Traffic on Harris Creek Road was obstructed on Monday due to a logging accident which had occurred early in the day in the Horseshoe Bend area of Boise, Idaho. A witness who was present at the scene reported that the driver operating the logging truck had just been hired by the logging company and was working his first day on the job. This claim could not be corroborated by third-party sources.

Photos of the truck accident site show the truck on its side against a very steep, snowy embankment. The load of logs the rig was carrying appears to have been dislodged, and pieces of timber can be seen 50 to 60 feet from the truck. The person who reported on the incident said that large rigs can frequently get into trouble in snowy conditions. Under normal circumstances, a small shift in weight, or an unbalanced tire might not cause significant problems, but in heavy snow these issues can become significant.

Additional details on the accident were unavailable at this time, pending an investigation by the local police department, as well as by the logging company itself. The cause of the incident is unknown, as is the condition of the logging truck operator. The Lawyer interviewed for this article stated that cases like this occasionally result in criminal proceedings, and it is possible that the reporting officers are remaining particularly tight-lipped about the details of the accident, pending criminal charges.

Published on: April 2, 2012

Propane Truck Upset Causes Alarm

by Stephen Bilkis

North Carolina became the site of a dramatic situation that resembled many Hollywood movies early on Tuesday morning, when a propane truck overturned on N.C. 68 in the Pleasant Ridge area. One vehicle was involved in the accident in addition to the truck, reported a witness that provided details of the incident. One person involved in the crash was injured, but the injuries were not considered serious. Traffic was detoured throughout the day, but it was anticipated that normal flow would resume by Wednesday.

Due to the highly volatile nature of propane, the truck accident had to be dealt with extremely carefully by fire and rescue crews. The Deputy Chief of the Greensboro Fire department was on hand to provide oversight and communicate with reporters. He said that after the accident, emergency crews safely transferred as much propane as possible out of the tank, although it was impossible to remove the entire load. The attorney connected with the case said that a third-party company with experience in these types of truck accidents had been called in to set the propane tank upright so the extraction process could be completed.

Specifics in the case are still forthcoming from the investigating officers. It is unclear at this time if anyone involved would face criminal charges, although the advocate said that such litigation would be unlikely, due to the relatively minor level of injury to those involved. Investigating officers in Manhattan and Queens are expected to release a report when they conclude their investigation.

Published on: March 31, 2012

Questions surround Truck Accident

by Stephen Bilkis

Green County, Indiana- Officials from the Sullivan County Police department were involved in heavy cleanup on Monday after an accident on State Road 159, reported a witness who was in Green County at the time of the truck accident, which occurred early in the afternoon somewhere south of Dugger in Sullivan County.

Sullivan County 911 logged an emergency call at around 1:30, and immediately notified police and other emergency personnel. Officers responding to the scene found a three-axle coal truck which had flipped onto its side, spilling its contents into the road. The policeman was unable to speak to the severity of the accident, or the condition of the driver. It is possible that slick road conditions may have been a factor in the accident. One other theory which has been mentioned suggests that the coal load may have shifted or settled unevenly, causing a weight imbalance which contributed to the truck accident.

The latest report on the cleanup activity came at around 3:00 on Monday afternoon. A representative of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department reported that the Sherriff’s department was working actively with crews from the Indiana Department of Transportation to resolve the situation and bring traffic back to normal flow.

Published on: March 29, 2012

Driver falls asleep at wheel

by Stephen Bilkis

Early in the morning in Cumberland County PA, a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel. This is the second tractor trailer truck accident of the day.

According to a witness, this happened at about mile marker 46. The truck came to a stop on the edge of an embankment and blocked the southbound lane of traffic near Exit 45.

Because of this accident the road had to be closed for over two hours this morning. It was a real pain for drivers who got detoured off of this route. They had to travel on four different roads before being able to get back on the Interstate according to police. Finally the left southbound lane opened again at about 7:30 am, as reported by a policeman. The road ended up being closed just an hour and a half later due to another truck accident.

Published on: March 26, 2012

Luck was with this semi loaded with grain

by Stephen Bilkis

This grain loaded semi trucker was minding his own business and went to turn a corner in town and got stuck. Luckily, no one was beside him when he attempted to make the limited turn. His rear trailer tires hit the stop light pole, damaging two of the rear axles, which meant the truck could not move, explained the witness.

They say that the truth is often stranger than fiction and this seems to be the case here. Who would have thought that a big rig would get stuck while turning a corner? This does raise a few interesting questions for the police such as, given the size of the big rig, what was he doing on downtown streets instead of the usual bypass routes, asked the expert? Was he paying attention to what he was doing? One wonders, given the results of his botched attempt to turn the corner.

While it didn’t seem like a big deal to have him stuck on a stop sign pole, the damages left behind when the whole ordeal was over were significant, not to mention the inconvenience for the local traffic. This rig could just as easily have turned over after hitting the pole. Truck accidents like this one rarely happen in areas like Queens and Staten Island.