September 10th, 2010 | 
Author: LANCASTER, NY – A semi trailer truck went off a highway, crashed into a utility pole and erupted into flames early Saturday morning, August 28, in Erie County, New York. The driver was seriously injured in the truck accident that occurred on the New York Thruway, also known as Interstate 90, in the city of Lancaster, NY. The accident area is in the Buffalo metro region in the far northwest section of the state, about 66 miles west of Rochester, NY and about 45 miles southeast of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Semi truck crashes into utility pole flips onto its side and burst into flames.
Shortly before 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning 28 year old Jason Leber of Niagara Falls, NY was driving a semi trailer truck west on the NY Thruway/Interstate 90 in Erie County, NY. The truck driver was carrying a load of paper products and was headed to a warehouse in Blasdell, NY to make a delivery.
As the truck driver was traveling through the city of Lancaster he apparently lost control of the semi trailer truck in the area near Harris Hill Road. For unknown reasons the 18 wheeler truck left the road onto the right shoulder of the highway.
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The semi truck crashed into the guardrail running along side the interstate and then pitched down the embankment and slid across Harris Hill Road, slamming into a utility pole and snapping it in half, cutting off power for about 150 homes. The semi trailer truck then flipped over onto its side and burst into flames. The force of the truck accident damaged at least one of the semi’s gas tanks and an unknown amount of diesel fuel spilled out.
No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.
Local police and medical emergency personnel rushed to the scene of the truck accident. The driver, Mr. Leber, was able to crawl out of the burning cab of his truck. He was stabilized at the site and then transported to Erie County Medical Center. According to reports the driver suffered serious injuries in the truck accident and underwent surgery at the hospital. He is currently listed in critical condition and is being treated in the burn unit of the medical center.
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Harris Hill firefighters battled to put out the flames of the truck accident while crews with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation cleaned up the diesel fuel spill. A team from NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) was sent to the site of the truck accident to install a new utility pole to replace the one damaged in the collision, restoring power to a section of the city.
NY State Police and officers with the Bowmansville and Lancaster departments controlled the site of the truck accident. They closed down a section of westbound I-90 and Harris Hills Road while the emergency teams and highway crews worked to clear the site. The interstate was reopened by early Saturday afternoon but officials were keeping Harris Hill Road closed between Genesee Street and Wehrle Road.
According to reports, the truck driver apparently told police that he suffered a sneezing attack just before the truck accident. Investigators conducted a reconstruction of the accident and there will also likely be an inspection of the trailer truck to see if mechanical failures were factors.
No charges have been brought at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about New York trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact a nationwide truck accident attorney at Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert advice. For a free initial consultation, talk to a NY truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.
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