Man injured in accident on Route 376 pinned between truck and guardrail

A man was injured yesterday in an accident on Route 376 (formerly Route 60) in center Township.   According to reports, the man’s truck broke down on the highway and pulled his truck to the side of the road.  He then exited his truck and was attempting to retrieve a cell phone  from the passenger side of his truck. 

His truck was then struck by another truck, pinning him between his truck and a guard rail.  He was taken by ambulance to the Medical Center for treatment.  The other driver allegedly fell asleep ant the wheel, causing this collision.

The driver who fell asleep at the wheel will bear the responsibility for the injuries and property damage caused in this crash because he was clearly at fault for this accident.

This incident does point out the dangers faced my motorists when they pull to the side of the road.  Because there is usually little room between the lanes of travel and the berm of the road, there is always a risk of a collision between a passing car and the stopped car. 

There is also a significant risk of serious injury when two or more cars stop on the side of the road.  Often the occupants of the stopped vehicles will congregate between the vehicles.  When people do this they create a significant risk for themselves that they can get crushed between two cars.  Should a passing car or truck hit the car in the back of the line of the stopped vehicles, the first stopped car will be propelled into the next stopped car. Any person caught in between the two vehicles is at risk for significant injury or death.  Center Township area car accident attorney.

Fatal accident reported on PA Turnpike in New Stanton

An accident caused the death of one person and injuries to several others occurred last night on the PA Turnpike in New Stanton, PA.  The accident occurred last night at about 7:30 p.m.  The accident involved at least two tractor trailers and several passenger cars.  No further information is currently available.

With the weather being as bad as it was over the weekend it seems likely that road and weather conditions contributed to the cause of this accident.  It is also possible that one or more of the drivers involved may have been driving too fast for the road conditions.  Car and Truck accident attorney.

Articles on this accident can be found at WPXI and WTAE.

Crash with train injures woman in Westmoreland County

A woman was taken by medical helicopter this morning after an accident involving a car and a train.  According to reports, a train was crossing Orslik Road in Jacob’s Creek at about 4 a.m. when the woman ran into the side of the train. 

The cause of this accident may seem obvious; the woman ran into the train.  There may be other factors that caused or contributed to the accident.  the car driver may have been intoxicated.  The train may have been moving too fast or the railroad crossing may have been poorly lit or marked, or it may have been ungated, creating a dangerous intersection between the road and the train tracks.  Western PA car accident attorney.

For more information on this car-train accident, please visit WPXI, WTAE,  or the Post Gazette.

Head-on crash with tractor-trailer kills woman

A collision between a tractor-trailer and a car last night in Clarion County killed a Jefferson County woman.  According to police, the woman was traveling north on Route 28 when she crossed over into the southbound lanes and was struck by the truck.  For more information on this accident, please visit the Post Gazette.  Beaver County Truck Accident attorney.

Bus – car crash on Route 885 causes multiple injuries in West Mifflin

A car and bus crashed near the entrance to CCAC South campus early this morning, injuring the drivers and passengers of both vehicles. The driver of the car was trapped in her vehicle until rescue workers freed her and transported her for medical treatment.  As the bus was exiting campus property, the car struck the bus head-on.

Classes were canceled for the morning at CCAC and the road was blocked while medical attention was provided and the accident debris was removed.

Fortunately there will be plenty of witnesses available for the police investigation to determine the cause of this accident.  An unusual aspect of Pennsylvania law is that cases involving injuries caused by government entity owned buses have limits on the amounts of insurance available.  In accidents where there are multiple victims with serious injuries, there may not be sufficient insurance coverage to compensate all victims fully.  Pittsburgh area accident attorney.

For more information on this accident, please visit WPXI, WTAE, and the Post Gazette.

Two injured in Route 51 accident in Jefferson Hills

A crash on Route 51 in Jefferson Hills injured two people last night.  According to reports, one car was traveling on the wrong side of the road at the time of the accident.  No further information is available other than a short article at WTAE.

In accidents caused by a driver on the wrong side of the road, the driver crossing the center line will be held liable for all damages caused by the crash.  Personal injury attorney Thomas Matvey.

Wheeling, West Virginia road rage crash kills two, injures two others

A Rayland, West Virginia man faces multiple charges stemming from an accident on I-70 near Wheeling.  According to police reports, the Rayland man’s car struck a pick-up truck also traveling on I-70.  The impact forced the pick-up across I-70 into the Westbound lanes and into a collision with a tractor-trailer.  A 20-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were killed and two others were seriously injured.  The driver of the car is currently being held in jail.

This accident apparently occurred because of a dispute between occupants of the two vehicles.  According to the police allegations, the driver of the car disregarded the risk of serious injury and death and hit the pick-up with his car.  The tragic loss of two young people and the serious injury of two others was avoidable and completely unnecessary.  Western PA accident attorney.

See a video on avoiding road rage incidents below:

For more information on this incident, please visit The Wheeling News Register or WPXI.

Hopewell accident sends two teens to hospital

A pick-up truck traveling on I-376 (formerly Route 60) lost control and went over an embankment, injuring two teenagers on Saturday.  According to reports, the car was traveling Westbound on 376 when the driver lost control of the vehicle.  The truck crossed over the Eastbound lanes, through a guard rail, and over an embankment.  A life-light helicopter took the driver, a 17-year-old man from Imperial, to children’s Hospital. The passenger, a 16-year-old woman from Coraopolis, was taken by ambulance to Children’s Hospital as well. The highway closed in both directions while rescue workers worked to bring the two injured youths up to the highway for transport to Children’s Hospital.  The police will cite the driver for speeding.

 Along with speeding, it appears that driver inexperience may have contributed to causing this crash.  Beaver County Accident Attorney.

For more information on this accident, please visit the Beaver County Times and WTAE and an updated article in the Times. 

Contact attorney Matvey below:

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Text only. No markup allowed.

Falling tree kills motorist in Somerset County

A tree felled by wind struck a passing SUV, killing the driver and seriously injuring his passenger.  The accident happened on January 28 on Route 281 in Upper Turkeyfoot, Somerset County.

Accidents like this one at times are purely an act of God.  At other times a failure to properly maintain trees by a property owner may contribute to a tree fall.  In cases where a tree is in obviously poor condition and at risk of falling, it is the  property owner’s responsibility to trim or remove the tree to avoid an accident.  Failure to do so may lead to liability for any injuries sustained due to the falling tree.  Beaver County car accident attorney.

Toyota recalls millions of vehicles due to risk of sudden acceleration

Toyota is in the midst of a major recall of millions of cars due to a risk of accelerators sticking and potentially causing accidents.  The car company also stopped sales temporarily of all models that might have the accelerator problem.  Included in the recall are the following Toyota models:

• Certain 2009-2010 RAV4,
• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla,
• 2009-2010 Matrix,
• 2005-2010 Avalon,
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry, 
• Certain 2010 Highlander,
• 2007-2010 Tundra,
• 2008-2010 Sequoia.

According to Toyota, “In rare instances, there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.”  The effect on the driver of the car is that the car will accelerate when the operator doesn’t want it to or will accelerate at a greater rate than the operator intends, possibly leading to an accident.

Incidents of Toyotas accelerating to over 100 miles per hour despite driver’s efforts to slow or stop the car have been reported.  As many as 19 deaths may be related to accelerator problems with Toyotas and this problem and a prior problem with floormats that led to an earlier recall of Toyotas have been linked to a number of accidents as well.

Watch a CBS report on the recall below:

If you find yourself in a situation where your accelerator is stuck, experts recommend that you shift the car into neutral and maneuver your car off the road.  You should not shut the car off while the car is in motion because you will lose power steering and brakes and will not be able to control the vehicle.  After stopping the car in a safe area you should have the car towed rather than trying to drive it again. 

In cases where an automobile manufacturer builds a car that has a defect that can cause accidents and injuries, the manufacturer will be liable for the damages caused by the defective nature of the car. Personal injury attorney Thomas Matvey.