FREETOWN, MA — One woman was killed after a tractor-trailer collision that took place in Freetown, Massachusetts on Monday, April 14th, 2014, according to a news report from WPRI.
Officials from the Massachusetts State Police have reason to believe 32-year-old Stephanie Pincher was killed when the vehicle she was driving collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer that was in the emergency lane of Highway 24.
Scene of the Accident
Stephanie Pincher was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency responders when they arrived. No other injuries were reported in the accident.
Authorities hope any eyewitnesses that have not yet come forward will do so in an effort to aid investigators in better understanding the nature of the crash.
Commentary:
Judging from the news article, people may have the assumption that the victim may be at fault for this accident, when not nearly enough questions are answered in the article to make a judgment call like that. The first question that comes to my mind? What was the truck doing in the emergency lane? Little do many know, the shoulders of highway is for vehicle emergencies only. I’ve handled a case where a tractor-trailer driver parked his truck on the shoulder to relieve himself when a car collided with the truck, killing the driver. Simply because the driver was obstructing an emergency lane for a non-emergency, the trucking company took most of the liability. If investigators find out that the driver of this truck simply pulled over to eat, or grab some shut-eye, the trucking company may be facing some serious liability questions.
–Grossman Law Offices
