Manslaughter charge stands for owner of pickup

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Car Accidents, on Monday, May 4, 2015

As some Massachusetts residents may recall an accident in 2013 resulted in the death of a teenager after he changed lanes to avoid debris on Interstate 91 near Springfield. The debris was identified as furniture that had fallen off a pickup truck. A superior court judge ruled that a manslaughter charge against the man who owned the pickup should stand. The accident occurred in November 2013 when two men, both from Springfield, were hauling furniture on the back of a pickup on Interstate 91. The men secured the furniture with nylon ropes. Outside Longmeadow, the ropes gave way, and the furniture spilled out onto the highway. The driver pulled to the side, and the men endeavored to remove the furniture from the roadway. One vehicle ran over a cushion and proceeded to pull over to the side. Another tried to maneuver around the debris, spun out, and came to rest off the roadway just outside the breakdown lane. The teenager, who was headed in the same direction as the pickup, changed lanes to keep from hitting the debris. A tractor-trailer hit the teenager’s vehicle, pushing it into the pickup. The Jeep burst into flames. The teen tried to get out of the burning vehicle but died on the roadway. When someone is killed by the negligent acts of another motorist, the individual’s family may wish to speak to an attorney in order to determine the advisability of filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Damages that are sought in such a civil action can include funeral and burial expenses as well as other amounts permitted by statute.Source: MassLive, ‘Judge rules manslaughter charge stands in case where furniture from truck resulted in I-91 death of Skyler Anderson-Coughlin” , Buffy Spencer, April 20, 2015