Wethersfield, Connecticut – Three people were killed and three injured when a vehicle collided with a parked tractor-trailer.
According to reports, shortly before 5 a.m. on Sunday, Kory Watson was traveling along the highway when his vehicle collided with the rear of a large truck parked on the right shoulder.
Watson and passenger Lacey Price were pronounced dead at the scene, while passenger Rebecca Schutte succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. Three young passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The tractor-trailer driver emerged from the incident unscathed.
No further details are known at this time.
Thoughts on Parked Tractor-Trailer Crashes
The shoulder is not a place for semi-trucks to park. The trucking industry is aware of the dangers associated with parking a full-sized semi-truck next to a lane of moving traffic. Still, unfortunately, fatal collisions with stationed semis on the roadways keep happening over and over again. When a party ignores safety protocols, and their actions lead to a preventable accident, they should be held accountable for any serious injuries or deaths their decisions caused.
Why was the truck stopped? Often, fatigued drivers will rest on the shoulder of roadways, but this is no safe place to stop. Truckers must plan routes and stop with the motoring public’s safety in mind. Was the truck visible to Watson? From the reports, this accident took place in the early morning, possibly before sunrise. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) requires stopped vehicles to turn on their hazard warning system and to use warning devices, such as warning triangles and flares, no longer than 10 minutes but as soon as possible after stopping. Truck drivers who skip these safety rules put motorists at risk of grave injury.
Sometimes, trucks suffer mechanical issues, forcing the truck driver to stop. We handled a case where a trucker parked on the side of the road after his tire blew out. The trucking company tried to escape liability by claiming the driver had no choice but to pull over because of a mechanical issue. Yet, after an investigation, it was determined the tire was not maintained properly by the trucking company, and the company knew the tire would eventually fail, causing the driver to create a danger to passing motorists. The trucking company accepted responsibility for the crash.
The victims in this crash deserve a thorough investigation and trained professionals on their side who will know how to identify wrongdoing and hold the responsible parties accountable.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, with extensive experience in complex auto/tire defect and commercial vehicle cases.
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 contained in this post.
