Three Dead In New York Tractor Trailer Accident
Three people died in a Long Island tractor trailer accident after their Ford Escort rammed into the back of a big rig parked on a residential street, The New York Times reports. According to the news report, the truck driver was asleep inside the stationary vehicle when the 1995 Ford Escort hit the tractor trailer and ended up almost entirely underneath the truck.
The three people who suffered fatal injuries in the crash were the driver, Araceli Carpenter, 19, of East Patchogue; and passengers Stephen Nowakowski, 25, of Ronkonkoma and Meagan Ferraro, 17, of Islip. Officials reportedly issued 15 citations to the truck driver, 29-year-old Charles Howard of North Carolina, but said that he was parked legally on the residential street and that the driver of the Escort was not speeding. Neighbors however told the newspaper that other truck drivers often park illegally on their street causing danger to other passenger vehicles.
This is a tragic yet typical case of a tractor trailer underride accident where a passenger vehicle, usually the front of the passenger vehicle, enters below the base of the trailer of a large truck. This type of “underride” happens most often with smaller passenger cars and less with sport utility vehicles or pick-up trucks. These types of New York truck accidents often result in catastrophic or fatal injuries.
Tractor trailer underride happens for a variety of reasons. In this case it could’ve happened because there was no sufficient lighting on the street. Sometimes trucks are painted a dark color such as black or blue and may not be clearly visible to the driver of a passenger vehicle in the dark. To prevent these types of big rig accidents, large commercial trucks since 1993 have been required to have a special type of reflective tape on the back and sides of the trailer. Since 1996, these trucks have also been required to have a rear underride guard at a height of 22 inches above the ground to prevent smaller cars from getting pinned underneath.
The victims of this New York big truck accident may be entitled to compensation if a thorough investigation reveals that the accident was caused because of the driver’s fault or because the truck did not have reflective tape or the rear underride guard. Both the truck driver and the trucking company may be held responsible if that is the case. If you or a loved one has suffered severe injuries in a tractor trailer accident, please contact one of our experienced car and truck accident attorneys at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro LLP., for a free evaluation of your case.
