The shortage of legal parking spots for truckers is endangering everyone driving on Pennsylvania highways. On the Pennsylvania Turnpike alone, there is a deficit of 890 parking spots for trucks; as a result, frustrated truckers have been leaving their vehicles wherever they can find room, usually alongside the highways. This creates problems for both truckers and motorists who have to navigate a maze of large vehicles parked where they do not belong. In addition, trucks pulling back onto the road from unsafe parking can easily cause crashes.
Since the Pennsylvania Turnpike is a popular route for many commercial drivers, the need to address the parking deficit is crucial for the safety of all drivers. The situation has become so bad that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is finally attempting to deal with the issue and discussing the need to create more parking areas for trucks.
Other interstate roads crisscross Pennsylvania including Route 80, Route 81 and new roads running north and south through Williamsport Pennsylvania. Some of these roads have little or no areas for parking or even refueling of trucks.
Any crash involving largely trucks is likely to be devastating and result in serious injuries or death. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 3,986 people died in large truck crashes in 2016. Trucks often weigh 20-30 times as much as passenger cars and have greater ground clearance, which can result in smaller vehicles winding up underneath trucks in crashes.
If you or a loved one has suffered injury or someone has died in a crash involving an illegally parked truck or any other vehicle, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses. However, due to the complexity and issues involving these accidents, your case must be handled correctly and competently by an attorney experienced in truck crashes, or you may never collect the compensation you are entitled to.
Clifford A. Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters knows the courts and the system and what you need to do to win a good settlement or try the case. Our skilled and experienced Pennsylvania truck crash attorneys have represented any number individuals who have been injured or killed in vehicle accidents in Pennsylvania.
We offer a free consultation to discuss the facts of your individual situation, so contact us at our office or online today.
What is Being Done
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation runs a program called P3 which will be used to address the truck parking issues and create a pilot program. To start, the Turnpike Commission has pinpointed the six worst service stations for truck parking along the main turnpike. Those with the fewest parking spaces are:
- Highspire plaza in Middletown, Dauphin County (9 truck parking spaces)
- Lawn plaza in South Londonderry Township, Lebanon County (14 spaces)
- Bowmansville plaza in Denver, Lancaster County (13 spaces)
- Peter J. Camiel plaza in Elverson, Chester County (24 spaces)
- Valley Forge in Wayne, Delaware County (7 spaces)
- King of Prussia in King of Prussia, Montgomery County (26 spaces).
In total, there are 93 available spaces between the plazas, which are not enough. Observers for the program visited these plazas between the prime resting hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., and found 195 trucks parked throughout the six plazas. The most dangerous rest area was Valley Forge, with only seven available parking spaces. When visited, the plaza had 36 trucks parked around it.
To remedy the situation, the turnpike is instituting a pilot program to better manage existing truck parking spaces and provide information to drivers on where available spaces are located. The program will provide real-time information to truckers as they are traveling so they can see what spots are available at the two closest service plazas.
Remember that not all roads are governed by the Turnpike Commission in Pennsylvania. There are many interstate roads in Pennsylvania such as Routes 80, 81 and north/south roads that are being expanded through Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Some of these roads are more dangerous because they are not governed by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
Common Injuries from Truck Accidents
Injuries from trucks and other large vehicle crashes are often severe and may include catastrophic and devastating injuries such as paralysis, brain trauma, broken bones, disfigurement, emotional damage and post traumatic stress syndrome, and, of course, death. If victims survive, their lives may never be the same.
Damages crash victims may be entitled to include:
1) economic damages, which include compensation for past and future medical and hospital expenses, rehabilitation expenses, past and future wage loss and wage loss horizon, and other out-of-pocket expenses;
2) It is often said that economic damages are the tip of the iceberg. Therefore, a person is entitled to claim non-economic damages, including loss of life’s pleasures until death, emotional distress, pain and suffering; and
3) physical impairment and disfigurement and, depending upon the case, other specialized damages.
Family members of victims may be entitled to compensation for wrongful death.
Contact an Attorney at Our Firm
If you or a loved one has been injured or someone has died in a truck crash, you should get immediate legal assistance to protect your rights at every stage of your liability claim.
The skilled and experienced Pennsylvania truck accident attorney Clifford A. Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters has spent decades honing his skills and successfully representing Pennsylvania families who have suffered an injury or loss due to someone else’s negligence. Our attorneys offer personal attention and loyalty to every client, aggressively fighting for their right to compensation. Whether in settlement negotiations or pursuing a favorable trial verdict, we are thoroughly prepared and committed to achieving a just outcome. With our competent staff, we offer strength in numbers while providing top-notch personal service.
Cliff Rieders is a Past President of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, formerly Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. Rieders has won numerous awards and recognition from the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and he received the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority recognition award. Cliff Rieders was a founder of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and served on same for 15 years. Rieders was a Law Clerk in the federal court system for one of the most well-known and longest serving federal judges in the country, the Honorable Malcolm Muir. Cliff has received the George F. Douglas Amicus Curiae Award, as well as the Milton D. Rosenberg Award from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers. Rieders is on committees and organizations that write the law in many fields of practice. He is a Nationally Board certified specialist for Civil Trial and Civil Practice and Procedure, a cum laude graduate of New York University as well as Georgetown University Law Center.
One of Cliff Rieders’ books specifically involves the Financial Responsibility Law which governs many considerations with respect to auto/truck and other vehicle collisions in Pennsylvania.
Rieders is admitted in Pennsylvania, New York State, District of Columbia and numerous federal courts including the Supreme Court of the United States. Rieders is a life member of the American Law Institute which publishes recommended legal principles utilized throughout the United States. Cliff Rieders is the lawyer that other lawyers call for counsel and advice in the medical and hospital malpractice and pharmaceutical/vitamin supplement fields. Cliff Rieders does substantial work in multi-district litigation in connection with pharmaceutical products and medical devices.
At Rieders Travis, we offer a free consultation to carefully examine the individual facts in your case and determine the best way to handle it. Don’t delay. Contact us today by calling or using our online contact form to set up your free consultation.
Based in Williamsport, we serve clients throughout the state of Pennsylvania, offering a free consultation on all personal injury matters. More than that, we offer you experience, knowledge, compassion, and a long history of results.
