Dump Truck Accident on Thruway Leaves Many Questions, But Reveals Answers, Too

The dump truck that struck an overpass on the New York Thruway Wednesday morning was not equipped with a light inside the cab of the truck that would have alerted the driver that the box was raised.  The raised box struck the overpass, the box was sheared off, and two vehicles travelling behind the dump truck crashed as a result.  The driver of the truck, John Hoey,  was ticketing under the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law for not having the warning light, which may have averted the crash.

As for the injured crash victims (seventeen in total, including twelve children), they will not need to prove in court why  the box of the truck became raised.  The fact that it did, and that the truck was not equipped with the warning light, will be enough evidence to prove that the trucker and the trucking company are legally responsible for their injuries.

But that is not the end of the story.  Was the van in which eight children and two adults were travelling equipped to carry that many passengers?  That will certainly be a defense raised by the trucking company.

Hopefully both the truck and detached box have been secured as evidence for use in the victim's injury case.

Nonetheless, let's hope that all of the victims in the vehicles driven by Mssrs. Itzkowitz and Compton enjoy a speedy recovery.