LANDSDALE, PA — Catherina Moening was identified as the woman that was trapped in her car after an accident with a semi-truck in Lansdale, Pennsylvania on Monday, May 11th, 2015. News sources said that the accident happened around 2:30 Monday afternoon.
Police believe that 55-year-old Catherina Moening was hurt when the Mazda Miata she was driving was hit by a UPS Tractor-Trailer while driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Authorities said that the truck was merging when it struck the car on the right side, wedging the small car beneath the trailer of the truck.
Moening had to be cut from the car before she was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The investigation into the accident is underway at this time.
Scene of the Accident
View of the Road
Commentary:
Whenever I see an accident where a truck driver says they “didn’t see” a car while merging or changing lanes, all I hear is “I didn’t keep a good enough lookout”. It may sound harsh, but considering these truck drivers are extensively trained on checking their numerous blind spots before making any kind of maneuver, it becomes necessary to hold them to a higher standard. Large vehicles like 18-wheelers have several, large blind spots that litter the perimeter of the truck. A small vehicle like the Mazda Miata involved in the accident can easily vanish into one of these blind spots, but this can easily be remedied by a quick glance in the several mirrors bolted to the side of the truck. Something tells me that didn’t happen here, and I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say that the UPS truck is going to take the brunt of the fault in the accident, as they should. There is simply no excuse for merging onto a major highway blind, and the trucking company needs to answer for the actions of their driver.
— Grossman Law Offices
