Rescuers who responded to a recent New York accident had their work cut out for them when they arrived at the scene. The collision involved several vehicles, including a tractor-trailer. A man and woman who had been traveling in a sport utility vehicle are now in the hospital and both listed in serious condition.
Police say the tractor-trailer hit the passenger side of the SUV
A preliminary investigation determined that the woman had been driving the SUV in the eastbound lane moments before the collision occurred. For reasons that are still unknown at this time, her vehicle hit a guardrail and slid across traffic where a pickup truck struck it and sent it sliding back into the eastbound lane. An oncoming tractor-trailer in the lane T-boned the SUV.
The roadway was closed to traffic for hours
As is common in the aftermath of a serious motor vehicle collision, the eastbound lane was shut down to traffic following this tragic incident. First responders included several off-duty emergency medical technicians who happened to be in the area at the time. They tended to the accident victims until an ambulance arrived.
What happens if an accident victim is partially responsible?
Investigators have not stated what might have caused the woman’s SUV to veer over and hit the guardrail. Similar collisions in the past have involved cases that have led to litigation, where a plaintiff who has filed a personal injury claim has also been deemed partially responsible for the accident that resulted in his or her injuries. New York operates under a “pure comparative negligence” rule. This means that the maximum amount of compensation to which a plaintiff who shares blame for an accident is entitled will be lowered by an amount that the court determines is equivalent to the damages for which he or she is culpable.