New Jersey Personal Injury Blog

Elk Township Tractor-Trailer Accident Kills Man

A 59 year old man from Lancaster, New Jersey was killed in a tractor-trailer accident in Elk Township near Glassboro, New Jersey. The Intelligencer Journal reported that the man was driving a pickup truck when he collided with a Freightliner tractor-trailer at the intersection of Route 77 and County Road 538. The pickup truck flipped onto its side and trapped the driver and a passenger inside. The driver died as a result of severe head injuries and the passenger was hospitalized with bruises and a concussion.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that approximately 4,066 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes in 2008. During the same year, there were 47 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks in New Jersey alone.

When involved in a collision with a vehicle with the size and weight of large trucks, the risk of serious injury and death increases. Approximately 74 percent of the people killed in fatal truck vs. car accidents are the drivers and passengers of the smaller vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Truck accidents can occur due to a number of factors which might constitute negligent operation, ownership and/or maintenance of a truck, including: truck driver fatigue, impaired driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, inadequate vehicle maintenance and driver inattention.

Families that have lost a loved one or otherwise sustained injuries in a truck accident should discuss their rights with a New Jersey truck accident attorney. The experienced motor vehicle accident lawyers of Blume Goldfaden can help injured victims and the families of deceased victims investigate and pursue potential meritorious personal injury and wrongful death claims. Call us at 973-635-5400 for a no-cost consultation.