Reading, Massachusetts — A collision involving a box truck and a pickup on I-93 North in Reading at 1:02 a.m. on Thursday claimed one person’s life.
According to preliminary reports, the pickup, identified as a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, came to a stop in the right lane when a northbound 2022 International MV607 box truck registered out of New Hampshire rear-ended it.
The pickup driver, Michael Murphy, was declared deceased at the accident scene.
The box truck driver did not sustain any injuries.
No other details are currently available.
Thoughts on Rear-Ended Truck Accident
Cars shouldn’t suddenly stop in the middle of the road. And people shouldn’t hit cars from behind. The accident that took Mr. Murphy’s life needs a thorough investigation by trained professionals to reveal why the truck driver rammed into him and why his pickup truck stopped in the middle of the roadway.
Motorists don’t always give a fair warning when they are about to come to a complete stop, so drivers must have their full attention on the road to react in time to a slowed-down or stopped vehicle. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports that 87 percent of rear-end accidents happen because of a distracted driver. That’s a high number.
We don’t know if the truck driver involved in this incident was distracted or speeding, but we do know that most of the time people should have enough time to stop before hitting a vehicle in front of them. Why that did not happen here needs to be investigated.
Another question that keeps coming to mind is why Mr. Murphy stopped in the middle of the road. Did he suffer a mechanical issue? Mechanical failures account for about 12% of auto accidents on the roadways (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration). If the vehicle had a mechanical issue, such as a tire blowout or some malfunction resulting from a recent repair job, there may be wrongdoing on the part of a repair company or manufacturing company.
There are too few details to determine why this crash happened. However, a man lost his life, and a mourning family will be left to pick up the pieces. The family deserves answers and justice for the unexpected passing of their loved one.
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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.
