State troopers in New Jersey witness a great many fatal traffic accidents in their careers, and most of them develop emotional shields to protect their sanity. Occasionally, however, the circumstances of a particular accident pierce this shield and haunt a trooper’s memories for a long time. A motor vehicle accident on I-78 in Berks County had that effect on several troopers that were at the scene.
A young couple was traveling to Pittsburgh, the man’s home town, for their wedding ceremony when they slowed for heavy traffic. Unhappily, a tractor-trailer immediately behind them did not slow down. The big rig struck the couple’s car and pushed into four other semis that were stopped on the freeway. One trooper said that fire erupted immediately erupted in two of the tractor-trailers and the victims’ car. The trooper said that the victims had no chance to escape their burning car. Both were killed in the collision.
One of the troopers described his emotional reaction to the accident. “You go to these scenes and we’ve seen them before, but this was really bad. This was a bad one,” the trooper said.
The families of the two victims may have a claim for wrongful death against the driver and owner of the semi that triggered the chain of events that resulted in the two deaths. Anyone who has lost a loved one under similar circumstances may wish to consider making such a claim. An attorney who is experienced in handling accident cases can provide advice on the evidence and an estimate of the amounts that may be recovered for costs, funeral expenses and loss of companionship.
