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Articles Posted in Truck Accidents

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fatal truck accident locationA woman was fatally struck by a truck in New York on Friday afternoon. The 57 year old pedestrian was crossing 39th Street and 10th Ave when she was hit by a truck. The truck driver was travelling North on 10th Ave and was making a left turn on 39th street (see picture) when the accident happened.  The driver identified as 28 year old Clyburn Rance stayed at the scene of the accident. He was later arrested by the police.  He was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to exercise due care, and failure to adhere to the highway law.

At the beginning of November, a campaign entitled “Dusk and Darkness” was launched in New York City to inform drivers and pedestrians about the increased risk of accidents during fall and winter darkness. During the 3 months following daylight saving time, twilight sets around 4:30 pm in New York City.  Between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm when most commuters are coming out of work, the streets are already dark. The risk of accidents increases as visibility decreases and a higher number of pedestrians hit the streets of New York City.  Recent statistics show that 6 out of 9 pedestrian accidents during the 3 months following daylight saving times occur after sunset.

The intersection of 10th Ave and 39th street is extremely busy on Friday around 5:00 pm as it is located next to the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey.

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A woman died in a truck accident in New York last Monday. 68 year old Nuesa Marques-Diniz was crossing 42nd street between Fifth Ave and Madison Ave, in Manhattan, when she was struck by a truck. The accident occurred around 8:00 pm. The woman was a New York resident from Brazil.  The truck belonged to the electrical company Hugh O’Kane Electrical Co. It was transporting two huge spool of wire. The pedestrian was crushed with the front and rear driver-side tires. She died at the scene of the accident.  The truck driver stayed at the scene of the accident. He wasn’t charged. Read more in the NY Daily News

Last week Vision Zero launched a campaign to reduce pedestrian accidents after Daylight Saving Time. Recent statistics have shown that the number of pedestrian fatalities increase by 40% during the 3 months that follow Daylight Saving Time. Poorest visibility related to earlier darkness when most New Yorkers are still outside increases the risk of accidents.

truck accident location

The woman had just came out of the Mc Donald and was crossing the street here. Picture: courtesy of Google Map

 

 

 

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large truckTruck accidents are on a trending rise in New York City. Last July they reached a record number of 805. It was the first time ever that the number of monthly truck accidents in New York City was over 800.

In the US, 4067 people died in truck accidents in 2015 compared to 3903 in 2014 and 3380 in 2009. Over 6 years the number of fatal truck accidents increased by 20%. From 2009 to 2015, injuries related to truck accidents increased by 50% from 74,000 to 111,0000. Truck crashes were also on the rise during the same period. They increased from 286,000 to 411,000 between 2009 and 2014.

Truck drivers are working long hours and are often pressured to deliver their load on a tight schedule. They often drive above the legal speed limit exposing themselves and other road users to dangerous accidents. According to the NHTSB, speeding, distraction and impairment are the three main factors in truck accidents.

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the truck that struck the bicyclistA bicyclist suffered critical injury after being struck by a tractor trailer truck in New York City.  The accident happened yesterday morning around 7:15 am at the intersection of Jay Street and Tillary Street in Brooklyn. According to Streetblog the truck struck the bicyclist while making a right from Jay onto Tillary. The victim, a 35 year old man, got stuck under the truck.  His left leg was completely mangled and  he suffered massive head trauma according to the NY Daily News.  He was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

The truck driver stayed at the scene of the accident and hasn’t been charged. The truck was a tractor trailer truck belonging to Mountain Man Sand and Gravel. The truck was on an authorized truck road however it was larger than 55 feet long. Trucks larger than 55 feet long are only allowed in New York City if they transport material that is “non-divisible” and have special authorization. In the case of this accident, the Gothamist indicates that the truck was a Mac trailer Dump truck.  There is a high probability that the truck was not legally authorized to drive where the accident happened. This is the second time this year that a bicyclist has been struck by an over-sized truck driving in a pedestrians and bicyclists area. In April, a cyclist died after being struck by a tractor trailer truck which was illegally driving in a Brooklyn residential area (see previous blog).

Jay Street is considered one of the most dangerous streets for bicyclists in New York City. Recently, the DOT started to remodel the street and add protected bike lanes. However at the intersection of Jay and Tillary protective bike lanes are still nonexistent. Since the beginning of the year, 3 people were injured in bicycle accidents at this intersection according to Vision Zero Map. Also according to data from Transportation Alternatives there were 41 pedestrian and bicyclist accidents at this location between 2002 and 2011.

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A bicyclist may need a leg amputation after he was struck by a truck in New York. The 30 year old man was riding his bike South on 8th Ave in Manhattan, NYC, around 3:30 am Friday. As he crossed West 40th Street, a commercial truck slammed into him. The truck driver didn’t stop. He just continued on his way. The cyclist was left bleeding in the middle of the street. A witness working at a nearby Duane Reade saw the accident. He told the NY Daily News that the truck was speeding when he hit the victim. The man was transported by ambulance to the hospital. He suffered serious head and leg injuries. His leg may be amputated. The police are still looking for the hit and run driver.

Previously several people reported on the Vision Zero Input map that vehicles were failing to yield at this specific location. So far 4 people were injured in 2016 at the intersection of 8th Ave and 40th Street.

Failure to yiled reported at accident location

Picture source: Vision Zero Input Map

 

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truck speeding1,000 people die in truck accidents related to speed every year in the US. If truck drivers weren’t able to drive faster than 60 mph, the NHTSA estimated that half of these people would be alive. For almost 10 years most trucks in the world have been equipped with electronic technology that can limit their speed but so far US truck operators have not been legally required to use this system. Few of them are using them. Schneider National, a truck carrier from Wisconsin is one of the only companies to use them on all its trucks for two decades. Traffic safety advocates and industry trade groups have been pushing for truck and bus companies to use this safety device for years.

Finally last month, the NHTSA released proposed rules to mandate electronic speed limiters in all trucks and buses with a weight equal or bigger than 13 tons. The NHTSA is not sure yet if they also want to apply these rules to the vehicles already on the roads. They are also hesitant in the choice of the speed limit. Should it be 68 mph, 65, mph or 60 mph? Traffic safety advocates want the lowest speed because it potentially saves more lives but independent truckers who are paid by the number of loads delivered see the speed limiter as a decrease in their income. They argue that a truck that goes slower than the rest of the traffic also causes risks of accidents.

In the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, electronic speed limiters are mandatory and must be set at 65 mph. In Europe, electronic speed limiters have been mandatory since 1993 for big trucks of 13 tons and more. The European Commission is planning to introduce the same regulation for smaller trucks as well.

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3 people died and 11 people were injured in  a NYC crash. This morning around 4:20 am several cars and a truck collided on the Long Island Expressway near Maurice Ave in Maspeth, Queens. 3 people died in the collision. 4 injured people were transported to the hospital including two in critical condition. 7 others were treated for minor injuries at the scene of the accident. According to CBS, a first car hit the guardrail and split in two. A second car behind it tried to avoid it and crashed as well. A dump truck then crashed into several cars in front of him. This is the second accident this month in which multiple people were killed in an accident on The L.I.E. In the prior accident 6 people died when a car crossed the center median hitting two cars.

 

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Sam Schwartz21 garbage truck accidents occurred in NYC between January 1st 2010 and December 31st 2014 according to data provided by the NYC DOT to Sam Schwartz Engineer for a study on private carting safety. The study is part of a larger analysis on the private carting industry that led to the announcement of the implementation of a new zoned-collection system by Mayor de Blasio’s administration (see Politico). The implementation of this system will significantly reduce the number of miles traveled by private garbage trucks  in New York City. As a result the air quality should improve significantly and garbage truck accidents should decrease.

According to Sam Schwartz private carting safety study, the severity of private garbage truck crashes is much higher than the severity of all NYC crashes with fatal and injury crashes accounting for 86% of all crashes. Pedestrians are involved in 36% of the crashes. Among the pedestrian crashes half of them occurred as the pedestrian was crossing with the signal.  Private garbage truck accidents happen mostly at night as most carting operations occur at night time. The study also include a safety analysis based on private carting company employees interviews. In regards to traffic safety, night time driving, bad weather and intoxicated pedestrians during week-end nights were considered the most challenging. Another traffic safety concern was to prevent injuries to pedestrians while backing up. The visibility being extremely reduced with such trucks, it is important that the helper provide accurate guidance to the truck driver while backing up. Employees were also asked about possible safety measures and proposed additional route supervisors, better fleet maintenance, improved driving techniques and providing specific driving courses, training on location and training on handling hazardous materials, additional safety meetings and stricter hiring criteria.

Hopefully when the new system is implemented, less miles traveled should lead to less people injured in traffic accidents involving garbage trucks.

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A man in his 70s suffered serious injury after being struck by a tractor-trailer truck in Queens, NYC. The man was crossing Jamaica Ave. near 168th Street around noon when he was hit by a dairy truck. His legs got pinned under the wheels and were severely mangled. An airbag was used by the first responders to lift the wheel from the man’s leg. He was then transported to the hospital. The pedestrian suffered massive leg injury but he was expected to survive. The truck driver who stayed at the scene of the accident wasn’t charged.

Read more in the NY Daily News

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A 79 year old woman was  struck by a truck in New York City last Friday. The woman was crossing Second Avenue at the intersection of 58th Street when a pick up truck slammed into her. People ran to the rescue but her feet were stuck under the truck. One leg was mangled and the other one broken. She had blood on her face as well. She was transported in critical condition to the hospital. The pick up truck driver stayed at the scene of the accident. He was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian.

Read more in the NY Daily News