BELLMAWR, NJ — Four people were hurt after a tractor-trailer accident that happened in Bellmawr, New Jersey on Wednesday, January 7th, 2015. News agencies said that the accident took place at or around 10:40 Wednesday morning.
Four people were taken to the hospital when their vehicles were struck by a gas tanks while driving on Interstate 295. Police said that the tanks fell from a tractor-trailer for reasons currently under investigation when the tanks hit the cars on the highway.
Four people were hurt in the accident. The driver of the tractor-trailer did not report immediate injuries following the accident.
The New Jersey State Police are still investigating the accident at this time.
Scene of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
Whenever I see a accident fact pattern where cargo has fallen off a moving tractor-trailer, I cannot begin to stress just how much has to go wrong for such an event to take place. To begin with, there could be liability on the company that was responsible for loading and securing these tanks onto the truck. Sometimes freight moving trucks simply back into a company’s dry dock where the company loads the trucks, and sends them on their way. If the company that put these tanks on this truck failed to do so securely enough, then they need to answer for their handiwork and take responsibility for the accident.
On the other hand, if the driver of the tractor-trailer failed to make sure his cargo was tied down and secure, as he is obligated to do before he leaves for a haul, then the trucking company needs to answer for the role they played in the accident. Many people would call this a freak, unavoidable accident, but I honestly believe that there is no such thing. I few more ties, a few more minutes of work done properly could have prevented this whole thing from happening.
