Truck Accident Lawyer News

WEST ALMOND, NY – A semi driver was hurt in a rollover truck accident Saturday morning, March 5, on a highway in Alleghany County, New York. Authorities believe the driver may have suffered a medical emergency just before he drove off Interstate 86 and flipped the tractor trailer in a ditch near the town of West Almond. The truck accident area is in the western part of New York, about 85 miles south of Rochester, NY and about 136 miles east of Erie, Pennsylvania.

On Saturday morning 41 year old Earl Hilderbrand of Michigan was driving a semi trailer truck through western New York State. The trailer section of the semi was filled with a cargo of paper products. Information regarding the driver’s employer and destination at the time of the truck accident has not been released.

At around 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning, Mr. Hilderbrand was driving west on Interstate 86. The interstate is also known as the Southern Tier Expressway. He had left the Bath Rest Area, about 36 miles to the east, a short time earlier. The driver had just crossed into Alleghany County when the truck accident occurred. As the semi driver was approaching the town of West Almond he suddenly lost control of the tractor trailer.

According to reports on the truck accident, the driver allegedly said he had dozed off as he was driving. The semi trailer truck crossed over the eastbound lanes of the interstate and drove into a ditch running alongside the highway. The 18 wheeler continued forward for an unspecified distance in the ditch, the driver apparently still asleep. Eventually the semi truck went off balance and rolled over, crashing down on the left, driver’s side. Mr. Hilderbrand was trapped in the flipped cab section, and it is not known if he had regained consciousness before the crash.

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As the crash happened off the highway, there were no other persons or vehicles involved in the truck accident. It is not known if the 911 call was made by the driver or a passing motorist.

Area rescue personnel were notified and rushed to the crashed tractor trailer.

Firefighters helped get Mr. Hilderbrand out of the overturned truck and paramedics were on hand to give aid to the semi driver. At first the driver said he was not injured in the truck accident and wanted to refuse medical treatment. However, the EMTs apparently believed that the man was hurt and transported him by ground ambulance to St. James Mercy Hospital in nearby Hornell.

According to a trooper with the New York State Police, Mr. Hilderbrand may have suffered a medical emergency that caused him to doze off. According to the doctors who examined the driver after the truck accident, the driver had numerous internal injuries including fluid retention in his chest, failed kidneys and his brain was bleeding.

Police have not confirmed if a toxicology screening was run on the driver, usually a mandatory test after a commercial truck accident.

New York State Police were also at the crash site and shut down a section of I-86. Drivers were diverted around the truck accident scene while the various emergency vehicles entered and left the area. Since it was Saturday morning, traffic was light and the incident did not cause any major delays on the interstate.

A highway crew was assigned to get the disabled tractor trailer out of the ditch. They used several heavy duty wreckers with cranes to pull the flipped semi truck back up on its wheels. Fortunately the trailer section appeared to remain intact during the truck accident and the cargo was not spilled.

NY State Police troopers conducted a reconstruction of the single vehicle rollover crash and inspected the driver’s log book. At this point the semi driver was found to be at least partly responsible for the truck accident. The driver was cited for Moving From Lane Unsafely and Log Book Violation.

Additional charges could be brought pending the completion of the truck accident investigation.

Gordon Elias & Seely, LLP recommend that if you know anyone who has been injured or killed as the result of a commercial truck accident involving a semi truck, 18 wheeler, big rig, tractor trailer or bus, tell them to immediately contact a qualified truck accident lawyer for advice. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers. Visit our NY truck accident lawyer page or call 800.773.6770.

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