Will City Trucks with Protective Guards Help Prevent Fatal Collisions?

 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for the retrofit of more than 200 city trucks with protective guards to prevent the kind of accident that killed a Queens cyclist after he was hit by a city trash truck. According to a report in the New York Daily News, trucks make up only 3.6 percent of the vehicles on city streets, but account for 32 percent of cyclist deaths and 12.3 percent of pedestrian deaths in collisions. As part of his Vision Zero plan, which aims to eradicate traffic deaths, the mayor has ordered that these protective guards be installed on city trucks.

Program on Trial
The guards fit between the front and rear wheels of the trucks and prevent anyone hit from falling and being dragged under the vehicle. The city has begun the first phase of its plan adding the guards to 18 trucks. By the end of the year, another 240 trucks will be equipped with these guards. If this program is successful, the city will consider expanding it to cover 4,700 more trucks.
The guards cost about $3,000 per truck and have been successfully used in cities such as Boston, Portland and in England where deaths from truck versus bicycle crashes plummeted 61 percent after the guards were installed. On Jan. 17, a Queens College professor was struck and killed by a sanitation truck when the truck was making a right turn. Although private companies are not covered under the current program, officials hope that the city’s safety measures will motivate the private sector.
Truck Accidents
Large trucks pose a significant hazard not just to pedestrians and bicyclists, but also to drivers and passengers of smaller vehicles. When a large truck strikes a smaller car, even at a slower speed, the damage and the injuries caused may be devastating. Truck accidents tend to result in catastrophic injuries such as brain trauma, spinal cord injuries that may lead to paralysis, multiple broken bones, internal organ damage, etc. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If You Have Been Injured
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our skilled personal injury lawyers have a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a man who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: New York Daily News