Bronx

Published on: February 2, 2012

Trucker avoiding an accident ended up in an accident

by Stephen Bilkis

In a slightly bizarre twist of events, this trucker, who went out of his way to avoid a truck accident, ended up getting into a crash anyway, recounted a witness. He overturned and as a result of that, ended up blocking the whole southbound lane of the highway for about five hours.

Evidently, a car on the highway just ahead of the tanker, swerved in order to avoid a box that was in the middle of the road. The semi, with nowhere else to do, then veered sideways to try and avoid hitting the car. He was carrying 5,100 gallons of gas.

Unfortunately, the trucker hit the median and the rig overturned, spilling about 2,000 gallons of fuel out across the road. EMS crews were on the scene in minutes, their focus trying to contain the gas from spreading. They knew that any spark could trigger the whole river of gas and send it up in a roaring conflagration explained the police.

Published on: January 30, 2012

An action was filed seeking declaratory judgment

by Stephen Bilkis

An action was filed seeking declaratory judgment. The plaintiffs, who are the insured and one of their insurers, seek an adjudication that another insurer, is obliged to defend a certain action for personal injuries based upon the alleged negligence of one of the plaintiffs. The personal injury action was filed by workers who were injured as a result of a truck accident. According to sources, the motor truck involved in the accident had been leased. The truck was covered by a liability policy.

The policy not only protected the named insured, the owner of the truck, but also any person or organization legally responsible for the use of the subject truck. The policy, however, does not protect the named insured if the accident occurs while the automobile is not being used exclusively in the business of the Named Insured and over a route the Named Insured is authorized to serve by federal or public authority.

The plaintiffs contended that at the time of the truck accident the truck was operated in the business of the named insured and that therefore the policy applies to the pending personal injury suit. The insurer, on the other hand, asserted that the named insured did not operate the truck exclusively in his own business at the time of the accident and that therefore there is no coverage here.

Published on: January 15, 2012

Four killed in taxi versus semi collision

by Stephen Bilkis

Four men on their way to a wedding were killed in a truck accident when the cab they were riding in ran into the back of a big rig parked in the middle of the road, said the observer. What was the big rig doing in the middle of the road without any flares or warning signs? This is a good question and one that the police will want answered when they succeed in tracking down the negligent truck driver.

Because there was no warning that a truck had been abandoned in the middle of the highway, the taxi driver didn’t see it, as they were traveling in the very early hours of the morning, when visibility was not good. When the cab rear-ended the truck, three passengers and the driver died on impact, reported the source. There was one survivor, who was rushed to hospital for medical care.

Why a trucker would leave a big rig sitting in the middle of the road without any warning signs or flares just defies all common sense logic. Would he not have anticipated that someone would come along and possibly hit his vehicle? Why weren’t the authorities called when the truck had problems and needed to be abandoned? Why did the trucker not follow safety rules and put out flares, direct traffic around his rig or put up warning cones for several hundred yards down the road to keep people from running into his truck? Truck accidents like this one are not often reported in places like the Bronx or Brooklyn.

Published on: January 7, 2012

Two truckers hurt in accident involving both semis

by Stephen Bilkis

Strange things sometimes happen when you least expect them. This trucker and trucker accident case was unusual, as it did not involve moving vehicles, which should have meant a relatively benign outcome. Unfortunately, given the nature of the injuries, that may not be the case, indicated the police report.

This truck accident took place at a car manufacturing plant and happened just as the two semis were leaving the premises. One of the rigs stopped on its way out of the lot for an inspection before hitting the road. Evidently, the driver had some trouble opening the doors.

The driver of the other rig, noticing that his buddy was having problems, came over to help him out. As he got out to help the other trucker, the big rig moved forward and pinned both of them between the trucks; a pretty horrific truck accident, commented the officer.

Published on: January 2, 2012

Jackknifed Semi Accident Badly Injures Four

by Stephen Bilkis

The semi in this case badly injured four when it jackknifed right at the scene of another crash on the highway, said a reporter. The bad weather conditions were the cause of the first accident and the snowfall was not letting up any when the second truck accident happened.

The highway was alive with the presence of numerous police officers, who had responded to the first accident, when a big rig driver lost control while trying to speed past another vehicle on the snowy highway. The rig hit a disabled car and two officers who were checking on the motorist, explained the police. Accidents like this one do not occur often in Manhattan or the Bronx.

One officer was trapped under the semi and rescue personnel had their work cut out for them to rescue him. The officer under the truck had rib and chest injuries, as well as a broken ankle. He was taken to the nearest hospital for medical help. The second officer hurt sustained head lacerations in the truck crash and a dislocated shoulder after being tossed into the air and landing 100 feet down the road.

Published on: December 25, 2011

Speeding Big Rig Kills Mother and Daughter

by Stephen Bilkis

Although the police tracked down the suspected rig driver in this fatal hit and run truck accident, he was choosing not to talk to them. Since he was not saying anything one way or another, the police had not moved to charge him, indicated the report.

The police will make it a point to send a criminal complaint to the DA’s office, asking he be charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter. The facts of the case are heart-wrenching. A 56-year old woman and her 28-year old daughter were brutally killed in an intersection while crossing the street when a hit and run rig driver sped through the intersection and kept right on going. The daughter left behind a son, a newborn and a grieving husband.

According to eyewitnesses, both the women were in the crosswalk and had the right of way. The police were planning further investigations to determine if the driver was under the influence, texting, had defective brakes, was not paying attention to what he was doing or whether he was drifting off to sleep behind the wheel causing the truck accident, said the observer.

Published on: December 7, 2011

Truck Wreck Nets Family $3.5 million Award

by Stephen Bilkis

In this case, a truck accident victim and his wife were awarded a total of $3.5 million for their future pain and suffering. It was one of the largest awards handed out in recent history in Michigan.

The man and his wife were heading west on a road in 2008 and were waiting to turn left onto another road, when a tractor-trailer pushed them into oncoming traffic, where they were hit by an oncoming semi. The first big rig in this horrific chain of negligence wasn’t paying attention to the van in front of him and when he noticed it was stopped, tried to hit the shoulder to avoid an accident.

Instead, what happened is that the rig that swerved, caused the attached trailer to spin into the van, whipping it out into oncoming traffic where the van was hit by another tractor trailer. The victims injuries were catastrophic, with the man suffered two fractured vertebrae, depression and traumatic brain injury.

Published on: November 3, 2011

Off-Duty Firefighter Saves Lives

by Stephen Bilkis

Firefighters worked to remove the driver of an SUV after it crossed the median on an Oregon highway and hit a semi-truck. Another car flipped onto its roof during the incident.

“The driver of the black SUV was sent to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries,” a witness said.

One morning last week, an off-duty Portland firefighter and paramedic was driving southbound when he witnessed a small SUV a few cars ahead veer to the left, cross the median and strike a semi-truck in the opposite lanes. A third vehicle involved rolled onto its roof.

Published on: October 17, 2011

Sometimes There Really are Guardian Angels on the Highways

by Stephen Bilkis

This was a case that warmed the hearts of many and shed a different light on truckers.

While most people consider 18-wheelers to be dangerous and deadly, it appears that there are truckers out there who will go to the max to help someone in distress. Such is the case here when a trucker was recently awarded a medal of excellence for saving a soldier’s life, indicated a NY Trucking Accident Lawyer.

It was a usual day at work driving a long haul truck, but it rapidly turned into something else when the trucker spotted a man who had been thrown from an overturned vehicle and was lying on his back, next to a guardrail. The quick thinking trucker maneuvered his big rig to protect the victim from oncoming traffic, called for help and stayed on the scene, offering aid, until the emergency response crews arrived.

Published on: October 11, 2011

Semi Trailer Rolls Over and Closes Highway

by Stephen Bilkis

This case is an example of what “could” have happened if there had been any other vehicles around the semi that rolled on its side. That kind of a visual will bring a shock of fear to most people. Who wants to be involved in a wreck with a semi?

In this semi wreck, the big rig was heading north when it started to fishtail on slippery roads. As a result of the rear end doing its thing, the truck then rolled over on its side, blocking six lanes of traffic. Can you just imagine what would have happened if all six lanes had traffic in them when the truck went down, asked the New York Truck Accident Lawyer?

The driver walked from this crash without injuries and considered himself to be pretty lucky at that. But for the fact that there was no one else around at the time of the morning when the accident happened, both he and other drivers may have suffered severe injuries. As it was, it took emergency response crews at least six hours to repair a damaged guardrail before four lanes were reopened for use.