A fatal accident has claimed the life of a young man, and has raised a number of questions about liability. The Connecticut incident involved a personal vehicle and a commercial truck, but the trailer truck accident occurred while the truck was parked, not in motion. That leaves a gray area in terms of which party was responsible for the crash. In the meantime, the family of the young man who was killed in the accident are going through the beginning stages of a tragic loss.
The crash took place at a rest area that is located just off I-95 in Fairfield. The driver of a tractor-trailer was parked in an area that was clearly designated as a fire lane. A 23-year-old man was driving his vehicle into the rest area when he crashed into the rear of the commercial truck. The crash took place at approximately 1 a.m. on a recent Thursday.
The young man was unable to survive the injuries he suffered in the accident. The driver of the truck was in the vehicle at the time of the crash, but was uninjured. According to police, this is not the first time that an illegally parked commercial vehicle was involved in a crash at this location. A previous crash in 2012 also led to loss of life.
In this case, there are multiple things to consider. Connecticut drivers are certainly expected to remain alert and aware of the conditions surrounding them, and to take precautions to avoid accidents. However, commercial truck drivers are expected to operate their vehicles with the same level of care, and that extends to parking their trucks in the proper areas. By choosing to park his vehicle in an area that was clearly marked as a fire lane, this driver may be liable for this fatal trailer truck accident.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, “Driver Named Lucky Killed in Highway Rest Area Crash“, March 9, 2017
