A New Jersey man faced charges for a fatal tractor trailer accident on the New Jersey Turnpike on June 9. The truck accident occurred at about 5 p.m. in Carlstadt while the truck’s driver, a 55-year-old Union City man, was allegedly using his cellphone. Police announced on Aug. 1 that the man faced charges of second-degree vehicular manslaughter and third-degree hindering apprehension along with summonses for reckless driving and improper use of a cellphone.
The accident happened in the southbound lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike at milepost 114.6. The 1996 Kenworth tractor trailer struck a car that was part of slowing traffic ahead. Several other cars were involved in the chain-reaction accident. A 43-year-old Harrison man died at the scene of the accident, and several other people were injured. The injured victims’ conditions were undisclosed in reports.
Police arrested the man at his home. He was booked into the Bergen County Jail and held on $50,000 cash bail. A New Jersey State Police spokesperson said that investigators were still trying to determine whether the man was using his cellphone when the accident occurred.
The momentum and mass of tractor trailers makes truck accident victims more likely to suffer fatal or serious injuries than people who are involved in accidents with other passenger vehicles. The head, neck and spinal injuries that could result from tractor trailer crashes may disable victims, putting them out of work and in need of special equipment, physical therapy and other treatments. Families of deceased victims may struggle with the loss of loved ones who were major income earners in their households. Victims and their families sometimes consider filing personal injury or wrongful death suits against negligent truck drivers because of the emotional and physical difficulties they experience after truck accidents. Personal injury lawyers can potentially provide victims with advice on their legal options.
Source: Patch.com, “Tractor Trailer Driver Charged in Fatal Bergen Turnpike Crash“, Caitlin Brown, August 02, 2014