New York, NY — June 1, 2024, Gregory Benning was killed following a commercial truck accident at around 8:30 a.m. on the Long Island Expressway.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the crash happened on westbound lanes of the expressway at Exit 17W.
According to officials, 24-year-old Gregory Benning was on a Yamaha motorcycle going along the expressway. Up ahead, it’s alleged that a semi-truck apparently with cargo hanging far off the back of the trailer “suddenly moved into the left lane” of the exit for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. As a result, Benning’s motorcycle hit the right side of the truck, ultimately causing fatal injuries.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Right now, it’s unclear if charges are being considered, but even if authorities came out today and blamed the truck driver, that might not be the whole story. I’ve handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accidents over the years, and a truck driver’s actions are often just the tip of the iceberg.
For example, a significant factor to consider in these crashes is the pressure truck drivers face from their employers to meet tight schedules. Trucking companies often impose strict delivery deadlines, which can push drivers to take dangerous risks they might not otherwise take. Was the driver feeling pressured to make up for lost time or meet an unrealistic deadline? Did they work for an employer who would react unreasonably if the driver happened to miss their exit?
Additionally, training and supervision often plays a role in serious truck wrecks. If a driver is inexperienced or otherwise has a history of unsafe driving, a responsible trucking company isn’t going to hire them or is going to take appropriate steps to ensure the driver can do their job safely. A lot of companies out there, however, just want bodies behind the wheel. They fail to verify the qualifications of drivers, or they ignore red flags. Looking into the qualifications and history of the driver involved here, then, could reveal that this accident was entirely foreseeable.
The main reason I bring these possibilities up is that they’re rarely within the scope of typical police investigations. Authorities tend to look for someone to charge, and that doesn’t often extend beyond the crash scene itself. Digging into company records, engine control module data, driver history, training and safety procedures, and other issues surrounding the crash often requires steps from independent investigators. Authorities here may be taking appropriate steps to dig into those details, but that would make their investigations quite the exception.
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