The Providence Journal is reporting on a real mess of an auto accident that occurred on the Sakonnet River Bridge this morning. It is reported that traffic was slow and tight across the bridge because police had previously responded to a minor auto accident. The driver of the dump truck approached the scene in the passing lane and when traffic narrowed, he sideswiped a van and continued forward striking several additional vehicles including the two police cruisers responding to the earlier car crash. The driver of the commercial truck which caused the accident claimed to police that his brakes failed. As a result, the Sakonnet River Bridge was shut down for nearly three hours! The Journal has not reported or indicated if there were any injuries.
As it concerns the commercial truck driver, he has done quite a bit wrong and his company may have one heck of a tab on their hands. For one, an oversized vehicle carrying rocks should not be in the passing lane to begin with. Second, if we accept as truth that the driver’s brakes failed, then the company will be liable for poorly maintaining their trucks. The more likely scenario is that the driver was not paying attention to the stopped traffic and caused the mess. As most people are wont to do following an accident, he tried to shift attention away from himself by blaming faulty brakes.
Between my time working for the insurance companies and now representing plaintiff’s on my own, I can not tell you how many times I have heard “My brakes failed”. It is such a well tread excuse following an auto accident, that the police do not even consider that it may be true.
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This follows what was already a tragic weekend in Rhode Island when another bridge accident resulted in the wrongful death of one of the drivers and serious injuries to several others. There was a head-on collision Saturday on the Mt. Hope Bridge, in which the deceased driver, Paul Matthews, was allegedly distracted causing his vehicle to go left of center. Mr. Matthews did not survive his injuries and multiple passengers in both vehicles were seriously injured, although no other injuries appear to be life threatening.
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These serious auto accidents present complications both for their complexity and severity. I wish every one a safe ride on the streets especially during this time of year.
Whether you were involved and injured in a serious auto accident such as these two described or an ordinary “fender bender” contact our office right away for a free consultation. There is never any fee unless I recover money for you. I specialize in auto and truck accidents and have the expertise to work through difficult cases.