People in Louisiana may be interested to learn about a recent deadly dump truck accident that resulted in an hours-long traffic back-up on the New Jersey Turnpike. The accident, reported on national wire services, happened on Aug. 4 around 10:30 a.m.
Authorities reported that the dump truck crashed into an overpass. The collision killed one person and caused a fire. Law enforcement authorities were concerned that the collision might have damaged the structure of the overpass as well as some power and gas lines that ran under it.
Lanes were closed following the accident, and traffic was reportedly backed up for a mile-and-a-half for hours. Police eventually opened a truck lane to allow some traffic to move, but the highway’s lanes were not all reopened until after 10 p.m. It is unclear from the reports how the accident happened or how tall the dump truck was. It is also unclear what the height limits for the overpass was or whether the truck’s driver struck the side of it.
A truck accident can be especially serious since these vehicles are so large and weigh so much. Commercial truck drivers must undergo additional training in order to obtain the commercial driver’s license they need to operate such vehicles. The reason behind the additional regulations on commercial drivers and the trucking industry is to prevent serious injury or death to others who are traveling on the road around the truck. A person who is seriously injured in a truck accident may want to discuss with an attorney the feasibility of filing a personal injury lawsuit against the driver and the trucking company itself, seeking the recovery of the damages that have been sustained.
Source: ABC News, “Truck crash ties up New Jersey Turnpike for hours; 1 dead,” Aug. 4, 2015
