A lot of fuel spilled on a busy road following a recent trucking accident in Dorchester. The accident happened when a Sunoco truck driver ran over a traffic control box, which ruptured one of its tanks. Fuel spilled all over Dorchester Avenue, according to the Boston Globe. Officers had to block off traffic from both directions while they cleaned up the mess.
According to local fire officials, the accident happened near Freeport Street just after 11:00 p.m. Stopping the fuel leakage proved to be quite the task for officials. Boston Fire said many dikes had been set up, and no one had been injured. Two of the tanks, which held more than 5,000 gallons of fuel were leaking from the ruptured tank.
Our Boston trucking accident attorneys understand how devastating these kinds of accidents can be. Collisions that involve large trucks can also be complicated by hazardous material loads. Much of the time, people are killed in these kinds of accidents. According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were nearly 4,000 people killed in auto accidents that involved at least one large truck in 2010. Officials define a large truck as a vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds of more. Nationwide, there were more than 275,000 of these trucks involved in accidents during the same year. Unfortunately, many of these collisions produced some pretty serious, and costly, damage.
What’s most alarming about the new statistics from the NHTSA is that these numbers illustrate a near 10 percent increase from the number of fatalities in 2009. Most alarmingly, it’s the passengers of the other vehicles involved that are injured and killed most often. It’s so serious that more than 75 percent of the people who were killed in these accidents throughout the year were the occupants of the other vehicles.
In the state of Massachusetts, there were more than 400 vehicles involved in fatal car accidents in 2010. Of these vehicles, nearly 20 of them were large trucks.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) offers the following safety tips to help to keep you safe when traveling among large trucks:
-Avoid cutting off large trucks. Cutting off a truck could cut your life short.
-Always wear a seat belt.
-Keep out of truck driver’s blind spots. If you cannot see the driver, they cannot see you.
-Block out the distractions. Keep all of your attention on the roadways.
-Never drink and drive.
-Allow trucks with plenty of room when they’re turning.
-Never follow too closely.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a Boston trucking accident, contact Massachusetts Injury Lawyer Jeffrey S. Glassman to schedule a free and confidential appointment to discuss your case. Call 877-617-5333.
Additional Resources:
Fuel spills onto Dorchester Avenue after truck accident, by Zachary T. Sampson, Globe Correspondent
More Blog Entries:
Tougher Exams to Reduce Risks of Trucking Accidents in Plymouth County and Elsewhere, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, May 1, 2012
BEWARE: Trucking Accidents in Foxboro, Erving and Elsewhere in Massachusetts!, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, February 15, 2012