Anamosa, IA — A woman was hospitalized after her vehicle was broadsided by a dump truck in Anamosa, Iowa, on Wednesday, January 14, 2015. The accident happened at the intersection of Old Cass Road and CR X-31.
The dump truck, which was being driven by 78-year old Ralph Newell, blew through a stop sign and crashed into McNamara’s vehicle in the middle of the intersection.
Reports say that McNamara was wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash, and that that likely saved her life. Paramedics took McNamara to Jones Regional Medical Center.
It’s not clear if any charges will be pressed against the dump truck driver. The accident is currently being investigated by state authorities.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Truck drivers are held to a higher standard than other drivers because of the massive amounts of damage their vehicles are capable of. This kind of behavior is unacceptable. And the worrying this is that every time I see an accident like this I ask myself how many times has the driver done something like this and not been caught. If someone took a closer look at his driver record, what else are they going to find?
Accidents involving dump trucks are handled in different ways, depending on who owns the truck. If it’s owned by a private company, things can get difficult, because trucking companies aren’t very likely to just accept the blame for an accident, regardless of whether or not they’re at fault for it. And what’s worse, there’s no law that says a trucking company is obligated to make things right with you, even if the police find them at fault for the accident. A trucking company is only going to be compelled to make things right when they see that dragging an accident in front of a jury is going to cost them more.
If the truck is state-owned, things are little different. There are very strict deadlines as far as filing paperwork that have to be followed, as well as limits to the amount one can be compensated for injuries. Unfortunately, if multiple people are injured, this can create a bit of a rush to the courthouse, with everyone jockeying to be first in line.
In these, regardless of who owns the truck, a case like this needs evidence if it’s going to be proven. That includes a thorough investigation of the scene, as well as the electronic control module on the truck, which stores data about the truck’s speed and whether or not the brakes were used in the seconds before an accident. For victims and their families, that information can be invaluable.
— Grossman Law Offices
