A father and son were seriously injured in a crash on Interstate 71, under the Orchard Park Road overpass. They were traveling southbound on I-71 around 3:25 p.m. when they rear ended a Manufacturing Transport semi truck that had just merged from Highway 13.
The State Highway Patrol says it appears the father was at fault, according to news reports.
It is too early in the investigation to determine who was at fault.
Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman have won cases for clients who were initially deemed 100% at fault. In one rear-end collision case in Minnesota, information on the semi-trailer driver’s “black box” and recorded interviews (called depositions) implicated both him and the trucking company. Fred and Eric won millions in a settlement after presenting an animation created by an accident reconstruction specialist. The animation was based on the information Fred and Eric had gathered.
Below are some questions that need answers:
- At what speed did the semi enter traffic on I-71?
- Did the semi driver have the right of way?
- Did the design of the roadway contribute to the crash?
- Where there skid marks, and if so, what do they indicate happened?
- How many hours had the Manufacturing Transport driver been on the road?
- Was cell phone use a factor in the accident?
- Was the merging truck accelerating at a safe speed to reach the posted 70-mile-per hour speed limit?
The father was transported to the hospital by ambulance, and the son was flown by helicopter to a regional trauma center. Our thoughts are with these accident victims and their family.
This accident is still under investigation.
Source: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/news/local/2015/08/03/father-sons-conditions-unknown-crash/31080383/