Personal injury, 2 deaths in truck accident in New York

Two men died in a tragic multi-truck crash on the New York Thruway in Rampao. Law enforcement authorities and medical personnel responded to the car accident that claimed the lives of a 33-year-old driver and a 20-year-old passenger on the morning of Aug. 21. The official accident investigation is ongoing, but it may end up being possible for individuals injured in the accident to sue for personal injury. 

Reportedly, a mattress box truck was headed northbound when it suddenly cut across two lanes of traffic and struck a second box truck as well as a pickup truck.  It then crashed headlong into a tractor trailer after running through the guard rail. The passenger was pronounced dead on the scene, and the driver was rushed to a local hospital with critical injuries. He was formally pronounced dead there. 

The 43-year-old man driving the tractor trailer suffered serious injuries. At last report, he was hospitalized and in serious but stable condition. It remains unclear what caused the first box truck to careen across the roadway.

Since the driver who appears to have been responsible for the crash was killed, it appears unlikely that criminal charges will be pursued with regard to the New York truck accident itself. The surviving family of the deceased passenger and the injured tractor-trailer driver have several options to consider with regard to any legal claims for financial relief as a result of the tragedy. Assuming both were working at the time of the accident, claims for workers’ compensation benefits will likely result in financial compensation for medical costs, end-of-life expenses regarding the passenger and lost wages. The tractor-trailer operator may also be entitled to pursue a third party personal injury lawsuit against the estate of the deceased trucker and that trucker’s employer; a similar claim on behalf of the deceased passenger may depend upon the nature of his employment relationship — if any — with the driver of the truck in which he was riding.

Source: lohud.com, “2 killed in multi-truck crash on I-87 in Ramapo; road closed SB“, Jane Lerner, Aug. 21, 2015