Around 6:00 am on Saturday, a fatal collision occurred in upstate New York involving a box truck and an express bus. The 2013 express bus, affiliated with central New York solar energy company LBFNY, was carrying 15 passengers as it made its way down Highway 37, just a few miles shy of the Canadian border. The 2021 Freightliner box truck was rented by an unaccompanied and unidentified driver from Penske Truck Leasing.
It appears the two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions early Saturday morning before colliding head-on, tragically killing six people. Out of the ten surviving passengers, three were injured; one passenger was left in critical condition. Fifteen ambulances were sent to the accident scene, directing victims to three different hospitals: Massena Memorial, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center.
Details are slowly emerging about the victims of the accident, but local news station WWNY reported that most of the express bus passengers did not speak English. The owner of the vehicle, LBFNY, provides transportation to and from job sites for employees, suggesting that the passengers may have been working for the company. Penske spokesperson Randolph P. Pyerson told CNN that the rental company did not have specific information about the rental vehicle or the driver.
Photos of the accident showed significant damage to both vehicles, a site that officials described as “gruesome,” WWNY reported. Although officials have yet to identify a cause for the accident, about a foot of snow was seen on the banks of the highway, indicating that low visibility could have been a contributing factor. The National Transportation Safety Board announced via Twitter that a six-member team will coordinate with New York State Police and other local authorities to conduct a safety investigation regarding the crash.
Auto accidents like this one are all too common during the brutal winter months of New York. Sadly, approximately 1,000 New Yorkers lose their lives to motor vehicle traffic injuries each year, killing 5.6 out of every 100,000 people in New York. From 2012 to 2014, there was an annual average of 136,913 emergency department visits caused by motor vehicle traffic-related injuries. These accidents can often be traced back to negligence.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation that could help you on the road to recovery. The personal injury attorneys at Block O’Toole & Murphy are familiar with the pain and suffering that awaits victims after motor vehicle accidents. Our lawyers possess extensive knowledge and years of experience in advocating for victims of auto accidents, whether the vehicles involved be personal or commercial.
Select results in motor vehicle accident cases include:
- $9.500,000 settlement for a 32-year-old man who was struck by a public bus while using a crosswalk
- $5,160,916 verdict for a man who incurred multiple spinal disc injuries after his car was hit by a driver who failed to obey a stop sign
- $2,625,000 settlement for the loved ones of a married couple, who were both killed instantly after being rear-ended by a tractor-trailer
- $2,000,000 settlement for a woman who underwent spinal surgery after being injured as a passenger in a collision involving a public sanitation truck.
- $1,600,000 settlement for a mother of five who was riding a public bus that rear-ended another public bus
- $1,490,000 settlement for a 39-year-old man who suffered neck and back injuries after a school bus collided with his minivan
To learn more about cases like these and the results our lawyers have secured, visit our Motor Vehicle Verdicts & Settlements page. Our experienced attorneys are prepared to handle many types of motor vehicle accidents, including those that involve buses and trucks.
Call us at 212-736-5300 or fill out our contact form to speak to an experienced auto accident lawyer today. We serve New York and New Jersey.