ROYALTON, NY – A semi truck driver hit a man on a riding lawn mower Saturday morning, April 24. 2010, in Niagara County, New York. The truck accident happened northeast of the Buffalo metropolitan region, on Route 93, known locally as Akron Road, in the town of Royalton, NY. The accident area is in the far northwest section of the state, east of the Canadian border, 47 miles west of Rochester, NY and 129 miles northeast of Erie, Pennsylvania.
At around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning 88 year old Ralph Foster of Royalton, NY was driving his riding lawn mower east on Route 93/Akron Road. He was approached from behind by an eastbound tractor trailer truck driven by Jonathan Atwater of Binghamton, NY.
The truck driver attempted to maneuver around the lawn mower but was unable to avoid a collision and hit the back of the mower.
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The impact of the truck accident knocked Mr. Foster off the lawn mower and sent him flying across the roadway. The semi truck continued to push the mower down the road for several yards. The 18 wheeler then went off the road, slammed into a utility pole, and rolled over on its side in a ditch along side Akron Road.
Local emergency personnel responded to the scene of the truck accident, along with officers with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Foster, who was riding the lawn mower, was treated at the scene and then airlifted by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo. Officials reported that he was in stable condition with non life threatening injuries to his head and hip.
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The truck driver was trapped in the cab of his rig after the truck accident, as he was surrounded by live electrical wires that fell when he hit the utility poles. He would have to remain in his truck for some time while crews from the electric company secured the live wires. Once the lines were cut and he could disembark he was treated and then taken to Eastern Niagara Hospital in nearby Lockport.
The truck accident would shut down a section of Akron Road while emergency crews treated the two drivers and utility workers cleared the electrical lines. Authorities reported that the downed power lines cut electricity to more than 150 customers in the region.
The Niagara County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the truck accident and they have not determined if they will bring any charges or citations.
For more information about New York trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact an experienced New York truck accident lawyer. For a free initial consultation, contact nationwide truck accident attorneys, Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP, for expert advice.