Standish, ME — Two men were hospitalized after an accident with an 18-wheeler in Standish, Maine, on Monday, June 16, 2014. The accident took place on Route 25.
According to reports, a car had stopped to turn into a parking lot. An 18-wheeler traveling behind them failed to stop and rear-ended the car, which pushed it into the opposite lane where it collided with another car.
Edmund Seeley was the driver of the car. He and a passenger were both taken to Maine Medical Center for treatment. The truck driver suffered cuts and bruises, but was not sent to the hospital.
Officials are still investigating the accident.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
At first glance, it seems as if the driver of the 18-wheeler just wasn’t watching the road and hit a car that had slowed to a stop in front of it. Is it possible that there’s something here we’re missing? Very possible, so we don’t want to blame anyone before the investigation is concluded. But let’s look at just what’s been reported on, and try to draw some conclusions from that. The 18-wheeler rear-ended the car in front of it. That much is confirmed. If the car slammed on it’s brakes, or there just wasn’t enough space between the 18-wheeler and the car for the 18-wheeler to brake before that gap was closed, then one could make the argument that the 18-wheeler was driving too closely. If you’re traveling at a safe speed and at a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you, getting into an accident is going to be much more difficult. Now, let’s say that there was a much larger distance between the car and the 18-wheeler. If that was the case, and the 18-wheeler hit the car anyway, then that means that more time passed in which the driver wasn’t watching the road, which still puts the 18-wheeler in the wrong. If the police investigation concludes that it was the 18-wheeler that caused the accident, then the driver, and by extension the trucking company needs to be held responsible.
— Grossman Law Offices