Archive for the ‘ Truck Accident ’ Category

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3
Feb

Law Enforcement In New York Will Be Watching For DUI’s This Weekend

February 3, 2012

As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, New York State Police are cracking down in an effort to reduce drunk driving associated with the game. Reports from CBS 6 News say that police announced yesterday that they will be conducting their first campaign of the year against DUI offenses.

The agency says they will be conducting a number of sobriety checks this weekend in conjunction with heavy saturation patrols in targeted areas of the state.

While the dangers that an intoxicated driver faces from injury or death to themselves or another person should be enough to persuade someone to choose otherwise, the penalties if one is caught drinking and driving can be quite severe.

Leandra’s Law, which makes it a felony to drive drunk with anyone under the age of 16-years-old in the vehicle, makes New York state arguably one of the toughest on the stance against drunk driving. A first-time offender, with no minors in the car, will spend an average of around $10,000 on a DUI offense in the state and could face up to a year in jail, a six-month revocation of his or her driver’s license, and anywhere between $500-$1,000 in fines.

The New York Car Accident Lawyers with William Mattar Injury Lawyers ask that all motorists be safe over the coming weekend by not drinking and driving. Instead, designate a driver before drinking, or call a cab or sober friend.

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1
Feb

Truck Driver 4 Times the Legal Limit When Charged With DUI

February 1, 2012

State troopers in New York were able to stop an accident before it happened when they arrested a drunken tractor-trailer driver. According to reports from ABC 10 News, the driver was more than four times the legal blood alcohol content when he was stopped Sunday afternoon on New York’s Thruway.

Reports say that troopers began receiving calls of a truck driving erratically down the highway at around 6:00 PM. They were able to catch up with the driver in the northbound lanes of I-87, near exit 22 for the town of Bethlehem. The 46-year-old driver failed a field sobriety test and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Testing would later prove that the truck driver’s blood alcohol content was .35 percent, well above the .08 percent legal limit.

No one was injured in this situation, but it may be an exception to the rule. In fact, the US Department of Transportation estimates that there are as many as 500,000 accidents per year in the United States that involve tractor-trailers. Many of the accidents happen because of the physical condition of the driver. Fatigue is the leading cause of truck driving accidents, closely followed by drugs, alcohol, and distractions.

If you have been injured in an auto accident that was caused by a big truck, the New York Auto Accident Lawyers with William Mattar Injury Lawyers may be able to help.

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27
Jan

Federal Regulators Get Restraining Order To Shut Down Bus Line

January 27, 2012

The federal government is taking legal action against a bus company that runs from Albany, New York, to Chinatown on Manhattan Island, since the company has refused to stop it’s services after allegations of serious safety issues. According to reports from News Channel 10, the Department of Transportation has received a restraining order to halt business against the Philadelphia-based company after the company ignored several previous requests from the department.

The requests to halt services were issued after the company came under heavy scrutiny following an audit by Federal regulators that found the company in violation of more than 220 safety codes and laws, including violations related to vehicle maintenance, rules pertaining to service hour limits and proper logging of those hours, as well as falsified and incomplete records concerning driver drug testing prior to service.

The laws that regulate the transportation industry play a vital role in keeping all motorists safe around commercial vehicles by ensuring that drivers are not fatigued by long hours on the road and that trucks are not too heavy or overloaded. Any violation of these laws could be used to help hold a negligent bus or truck driver responsible if an accident was to occur.

William Mattar Injury Lawyers may be able to help you if you have been seriously injured in an accident that was no fault of your own and involved a commercial vehicle. Just remember, Hurt In A Car, Call William Mattar!

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9
Dec

New York armored truck driver died in Woodbridge turnpike wreck

December 9, 2011

A 45-year-old New York man died when he was ejected from the armored truck that he was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike early Wednesday, according to My Central New Jersey.

A state trooper said that the Garda Security International armored truck was traveling north in the outer roadway near milepost 90 on the New Jersey Turnpike around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. For some unknown reason, the driver lost control of the truck, and the truck struck the guardrail and overturned.

The driver from Jamaica, New York, was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the state trooper said.

His passenger, a 45-year-old man from the Bronx, was trapped in the truck.

Three fire departments responded to assist in extricating him from the vehicle. Woodbridge EMS transported the man to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

The passenger’s injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.

The contents of the armored truck were secured by the state police. There is no information about the contents, destination, or origin of the truck.

Garda director of corporate communications declined to disclose that information.

“We’re cooperating with authorities investigating the incident,” he said.

Traffic was delayed for about six hours because of the accident.

Read more.

If you or someone you know were the victim of an accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

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16
Nov

Sleep-starved bus drivers cause too many tragic accidents

November 16, 2011

Lives have been lost in the Bronx, in Virginia, in Upstate New York as sleep-deprived intercity bus drivers cause their buses to careen into other drivers and off the road.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s report commissioned by Senator Schumer and Representative Velazquez is the latest in a string of wake-up calls, said Lawrence J. Hanley with the Huffington Post.

Their leadership on this issue so far has been admirable, but not yet enough has been done. Congress needs to focus on ensuring driver fatigue is addressed in bus reform proposals.

Focused on seat belts, vehicle structure, and unsafe bus owners, the Motor Coach Enhanced Safety Act of 2011 passed by Congress does nothing to combat drivers who get behind the wheel with little or no sleep.

Due to an outdated loophole, intercity bus operators do not get overtime pay. They are exempt from overtime rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which is not fair to intercity bus drivers.

Congress and the Administration need to realize what a danger these drivers are on our roads, a danger to themselves, their passengers, and other drivers. Lifting the FLSA overtime pay exemption is a start.  Then bus drivers can be fairly compensated for their work exceeding 40hours.

Not only is this the right thing to do, but it is the safe thing to do for all of us who travel on the roads.

Read more.

If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York auto accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

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14
Nov

Deathtrap buses driven by drivers asleep at the wheel

November 14, 2011

The headlines have been coming in for months: lives lost in the Bronx, in Virginia, in Upstate New York, as intercity buses careen into other drivers and off the road.

Last week’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report was a much-needed look at the ugly underbelly of the bus industry, said Lawrence J. Hanley with the Huffington Post.

These crashes are devastating, but they are not unexpected. They are the result of an unregulated intercity bus industry that operates below the law and encourages its drivers to work on little to no sleep, according to Hanley.

Among the key findings in NTSB’s latest report is “driver fatigue as a contributing factor to fatal motor coach accidents,” and it “has identified driver fatigue as an issue on its Most Wanted List of Safety Improvements.”

Intercity bus companies get away with paying their drivers criminally low wages, forcing them to work more than 100 hours per week to make ends meet.

NSTB estimates that 36 percent of fatal bus crashes in the past decade have been the result of driver fatigue. It is the number one cause of fatal accidents.

These intercity bus drivers asleep at the wheel  are a danger not only to themselves and their passengers, but also to any car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian on the roads.

In our next blog, you will find out what is being done to correct this problem.  Check back in on Wednesday.

Read more.

If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York auto accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

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13
May

Port Chester Man Dies in I-287 Car Crash

May 13, 2011

A 28-year-old from Port Chester, New York, died on Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287) early Tuesday morning when his car spun out into the path of a semi truck near the Kenilworth Road overpass in Harrison.

Port Chester Patch reports that the man was killed at about 3:45 a.m. after his Volkswagen Passat came into contact with the guardrail, propelling his car into the middle of the road, where it came to a stop perpendicular with the roadway. The car was then crushed on the driver’s side by an oncoming semi truck, which pushed the car from 50 to 100 feet before stopping.

Police say the man died instantly. The truck driver, age 39, walked away with minor scratches. He had been transporting a swimming pool from New Jersey to Connecticut.

Police also told Port Chester Patch that they don’t know why the man lost control of his vehicle or how fast he was going at the time of the crash. Results from a toxicology report will take several weeks.

Witnesses reported a car driving erratically in the area at the time of the crash, Sergeant Mike Kopp told The News Journal. Kopp didn’t confirm that this car was the Passat.

The tragic New York car accident shut down all four eastbound lanes of I-287 for several hours as police conducted an extensive investigation of the crash. Traffic backed up for miles and was rerouted off Exit 9. It took until noon to clear all debris from the road and to re-open all four lanes.

Read more.

If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York car accident, the New York car accident lawyers at the Law Offices of William Mattar may be able to help you.

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4
May

Rochester truck accident kills one

May 5, 2011

The Democrat and Chronicle reports that one man has died in a Rochester truck accident.

Police report that the Rochester truck accident took place after a tanker truck filled with milk overturned, killing the driver.

The driver was heading northbound on Route 19 when he lost control of the truck. The truck drove through a yard and overturned.

The Rochester truck accident caused the cab of the truck to collapse,  killing the driver.

Police do not think speed or alcohol played a factor in the Rochester truck accident.

Read more.

Do you think tanker trucks are safe enough?

If you have been the victim of a Rochester truck accident, the Rochester truck accident lawyers at William Mattar Law Firm can help you.

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20
Apr

Two injured in Buffalo auto accident

April 21, 2011

Buffalo News report that two women were injured in a Buffalo auto accident with a dump trunk.

The Buffalo auto accident took play near the Pace Bridge in Buffalo. The Buffalo auto accident took place after one driver lost control of their car because of a blown tire. A second car was trying to avoid the first car and hit the back of a dump truck.

After the dump truck was hit, the truck overturned onto two other cars that had stopped to avoid the out-of-control vehicle.

Two drivers that were in the car the trunk overturned on where taken to a local hospital with not life-threatening injuries.

The police may ticket the dump truck driver in the Buffalo auto accident.

Read more.

Do you think the first car in a chain reaction crash should be help responsible?

If you have been the victim of a Buffalo auto accident, the Buffalo auto accident lawyers at William Mattar Law Firm can help you.

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3
Feb

Niagara Falls truck accident takes woman’s life

February 3, 2011

The Hamilton Spectator reports  an elderly woman has died following a Niagara Falls truck accident.

The 81-year-old woman had just left the grocery story and was carrying her packages when she was struck by a delivery truck. The woman was transported to the hospital where she later died.

Police had trouble with the investigation as bystanders helped pick up her groceries; they did not realize they were compromising the evidence. The Niagara Falls truck accident remains under investigation.

Read more.

Do you think bystanders should receive a fine for interfering with a Niagara Falls truck accident scene, or were they being Good Samaritans?

If you have been injured in a Niagara Falls truck accident, the Niagara Falls auto accident attorneys at William Mattar Maw Firm can help you.

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