Waterloo, IA — A woman was injured in Waterloo, Iowa, after being hit by a semi-truck near the intersection of East Fifth Avenue and Franklin Street on Tuesday, September 16, 2014.
Lucille Taylor was using a motorized wheelchair to cross East Fifth when she was hit by a truck being driven by Derrick Kacher. Kacher says that he never saw anyone in the road, but stopped his truck after feeling a bump.
Taylor was pinned beneath the truck, although not beneath the truck’s wheels. Emergency responders were able to use a hydraulic tool to lift the truck from her. Taylor was taken to Allen Hospital. We’re not sure what her current condition is.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
I have a few questions. First, did the truck driver have a green light when he was making the turn from East Fifth to Franklin? Second, was the woman who was crossing the street crossing in a marked crosswalk? It’s important to remember that nine times out of ten, the pedestrian does not have the right-of-way. Now, I’m sure the truck driver didn’t mean for this to happen, but even if he had a green light, a green light only means to proceed with caution. Even if the truck had the right of way, and the woman wasn’t where she was supposed to be, that’s not a free pass for the truck driver. He still needs to pay attention to the space around him. Yes, it’s true that the truck is sitting very high up, while the woman in her scooter are sitting very low, but my point still holds.
— Grossman Law Offices
