NEWTON, Mass. – A 57-year-old Newton man lost his life on Monday evening after a collision with a UPS truck at the intersection of Watertown and Bridge streets in Newton. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has confirmed the tragic news.
The accident occurred at approximately 5:25 p.m. when the UPS truck struck the bicyclist in Newton’s Nonantum neighborhood. Emergency responders transported the injured cyclist to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he succumbed to the injuries sustained during the collision.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the UPS truck, driven by another 57-year-old Newton resident, was traveling east on Watertown Street and was in the process of making a left turn onto Bridge Street. At the same time, the bicyclist was traveling west on Watertown Street when the tragic incident unfolded.
Authorities have confirmed that the UPS truck driver remained at the accident scene, cooperating with investigators. Law enforcement agencies are actively probing the circumstances surrounding the collision.
With more and more citizens turning to cycles as a primary mode of transportation, trucking companies must ensure their drivers are exercising extreme caution.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, bicyclist deaths among people aged 20 and over have quadrupled in the last several decades and account for 90 percent of all bicyclist deaths. With more and more people exchanging their motor vehicles for bicycles, we can expect that number to rise if companies do not adequately train their drivers to exercise great caution and care when sharing the road with bicyclists.
As trained professionals in cases of negligence, we understand the dire consequences that can result when a truck 20 times the size of a bicycle collides. Even though bikes have the same right to be on the road as trucks do, they are no match for a vehicle that weighs over 15,000 pounds and moves much faster. Our law firm is committed to handling cases where severe injury or death occurred due to negligence and inadequate training.
When faced with a semi-truck accident that results in serious injury or death, it is important to determine all parties responsible for the crash and ensure the appropriate people are held accountable. The truck driver and the trucking company each share a duty to the public to keep our roadways safe. While the truck driver has a duty to drive safely, the trucking company has a duty to ensure its drivers are adequately trained to drive commercial vehicles in accordance with state and federal law. The actions of both parties will need to be investigated by trained professionals.
No one should have a loved one die in this manner without the proper questions of what happened answered. While nothing can bring back their loved one, those wronged deserve answers and justice for the loss they have suffered.
Until then, we will continue to advocate for safer road conditions for bicyclists and for companies to adequately train their drivers on bicycle-friendly procedures.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in workplace accident cases with extensive experience in workers’ compensation settlements.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is included in this post.
