An accident between a woman on a scooter and a semi truck has illustrated the dangers posed by semi trucks to other motorists.
An as-yet unidentified woman and an unnamed truck driver were on West Houston Street in the West Village section of New York City. The truck made a right-hand turn onto Sixth Avenue, and in the process struck the woman and scooter with its back wheels. Apparently caught in the wheels, the woman and scooter were dragged for nearly two blocks before the truck stopped.
Witnesses to the accident reported that they tried to flag the driver down before he went so far, but were unsuccessful. The woman apparently died at the scene due to her injuries.
There are currently no charges being filed against the driver of the truck.
Witnesses and members of the community described the victim as an active and helpful part of the town, with an eccentric personality.
It is painfully and tragically obvious that the poor visibility that goes with semi trucks was a prime cause of the accident in this case. Trucks have very large blind spots, and often cannot see the vehicles around them. Truck drivers are expected to exercise additional caution when making turns to avoid this kind of mistake, and other drivers and pedestrians need to be very cautious as well in these situations.
The company the driver was working for has declined to comment on this tragic accident.
Semi trucks need to be given a wide berth. Drivers do not have full control of their vehicles even at the best of times. The wide turning radius of the truck can endanger every other driver around the vehicle even when the driver is exercising proper caution. The fact that the driver was unaware of people attempting to wave him down after the woman was hit indicates that he may well not have been paying the amount of attention he should have been.
