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It was a moment of inattention that cost three people their lives. Reaching for his cell phone on the dash board, a trucker lost track of where he was and rolled into a whole line of traffic, knocking cars out of the way like bowling balls.
The 51-year old trucker who was involved in an awful accident that killed three and left many others injured two years ago, was released from jail after serving 371 days of his sentence for involuntary manslaughter. The man had served a one year sentence; a sentence in part determined in consultation with the victims of the crash, explained a New York Trucking Accident Lawyer.
The facts of the case are that the trucker was momentarily distracted by reaching for his cell phone and while doing that, took his eyes off the road. The truck kept going and plowed into a line of vehicles sitting on the highway. The resulting chain reaction crash killed three and injured at least 14 others. The charges in this case were not filed until nine months after the crash, as it took that long to sort out the relevant details.
The trucker said in court and at the time of the crash, that he flipped his phone open and suddenly found himself right on the last car in the line of traffic. All he could recall after that was holding the steering wheel and watching cars being shoved out of the way of the truck as it plowed into them.
The trucker was tested for alcohol and drugs and was found to be clean. His driving record was also clear, said the New York City Trucking Accident Lawyer. He did initially indicate that he’d been driving for days in a cab without air conditioning and the heat stress was bad. Police in Brooklyn and Long Island try to be alert to this kind of situation and stop it before the accident happens.
Bad things sometimes happen to good people and when they do, they need to find out their rights from a New York Trucking Accident Attorney. While you may still be in shock as a result of the accident, don’t wait too long to contact a New York Trucking Accident Attorney, as time is of the essence.The Office of Stephen Bilkis and Associates can offer you support and guidance as well as a free consultation when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in New York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.