The weather took a turn for the worse in this case and when it did, the consequences were not pretty.
Freezing mist was falling on the highway and those traveling it were hard-pressed to get any traction. They even had a hard time going the designated speed limit, as the road conditions were so treacherous. Further back down the highway, five people were headed north in a Pontiac G5. On another road, up ahead of the Pontiac, was an empty logging truck and trailer just pulling out onto the highway and about to start heading south.
The Pontiac had no idea the truck was there, as they were climbing a hill. When they hit the top of the crest and realized the truck was right in front of them, they tried to slow their forward momentum down. The ice was too bad and the wheels spun out of control, sending the vehicle directly into the path of the logging truck.
When EMS crews arrived at the scene, they pronounced the car’s driver and a passenger dead, as a result of the forceful impact. Two others were air lifted to the nearest hospital and reported as having sustained serious injuries. The trucker walked away without a scratch and was in deep shock. He had been driving trucks for his entire adult life and nothing like this had ever happened to him before.
There are certainly some questions that remain in the case. For instance, what was the speed of the car that slammed into the logging truck? Speed was not mentioned in the police report. Evidently, the only contributing factor that the police considered in this case is the icy roads and that may well be the case, but there is always the “what-if” factor. What if the brakes on the car were faulty, asked the NYC Trucking Accident Lawyer? What if the steering on the car jammed? What if the driver had been under the influence? In Manhattan and Queens, Lawyers have to know the answer to questions like these before going to court.
It’s the unanswered questions that need to be discussed with a competent New York Trucking Accident Lawyer to find out if there is a case worth pursuing in the courts. Sometimes, things are not what they appear to be on the surface.
For legal advice that makes sense and can be trusted to be in your best interests, consult with a New York Trucking Accident Attorney. If you have been involved in a wreck, don’t wait too long to file a lawsuit with your New York Trucking Accident Attorney, as time is of the essence in cases like this in order to preserve evidence. 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 N York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.