Worcester County, MA — August 19, 2024, three people were injured as the result of a multi-vehicle truck accident at around 3:00 p.m. on I-90.
Officials said the incident happened in the Charlton area on eastbound lanes of the turnpike, east of Exit 78.
According to the Massachusetts State Police, events began after a truck carrying a forklift somehow crashed into a guardrail. This set off a chain reaction of vehicles trying to avoid crashing, and a tractor-trailer and a box truck crashed. After this, as vehicles slowed down, a semi-truck crashed into the back of a car. Two juveniles and the driver in that car reportedly had serious injuries as a result.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
While additional details are unavailable, there may be some folks jumping to certain conclusions here. Some may be quick to assume the first vehicle that crashed, the truck with the forklift, is responsible for all of this. Others, though, may assume the truck that hit the victims’ vehicle is responsible for their injuries. So, who is right? Well, there is no magical equation in the law to determine one way or the other. It all comes down to the nitty-gritty details in the moments surrounding each incident.
For example, there are situations where someone creates a chain-reaction of collisions that the other drivers simply can’t avoid. In that situation, it’s important to look into that first driver’s actions. Were they drunk? Were they speeding? Did a tire blowout? Was there something in the road? In other situations, though, time passes between the two collisions. After the initial crash, if drivers are safely slowing down and avoiding each other, a driver then crashing into those slowing vehicles may be engaging in reckless behavior that prevents them from avoiding an otherwise avoidable crash. Were they following too closely? Were they distracted? Did their brakes or tires have issues due to poor maintenance? And when all the facts come to light, it’s even possible the evidence shows that multiple parties are responsible for the victims’ injuries. I’ve handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases, and that’s not at all an unusual outcome.
At the end of the day, victims and families need evidence to say what happened. The more room there is for doubt, the more room the at fault parties have to muddy the waters and shift the blame. Ensuring there is an extensive, solid foundation of clear evidence means that the facts can speak for themselves, and the inevitable blame-shifting tactics insurance companies and trucking companies use won’t have ground to stand on. So while it seems pretty clear that a mistake likely led to all of this, it’s important there is clear proof as to whose mistake it was and why that mistake occurred.
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