Fatal boatyard accident blamed on truck brakes

According to a recent study, one of the 10 most dangerous jobs in the country is truck driving. The most dangerous job is fishing. Two of those professions intersected recently when a truck driver at a Quincy boatyard was killed in an accident.

According to news sources, the truck accident involved a fuel driver who was outside of his truck on the ground, when his truck rolled into the man, pinning him against a fence. Apparently the truck that pinned him was the fuel truck that the man drove.

The way that the accident happened is slightly confusing, and is under investigation. Two men were assigned to the fuel truck. They were just about to begin fueling when the brakes seem to have failed.

It was 3:30 in the morning when the truck rolled into one of the two men, and pinned him against a gate. His co-worker hopped in the fuel truck and drove it out of the way, to free the other driver. Rescue workers transported the 42-year-old injured man to Quincy Medical Center where he died of his injuries.

Refueling should not be a dangerous operation. If in fact the brakes failed, as is suspected, the family of the deceased truck driver could seek wrongful death compensation for their loss. Who they would hold liable may be questionable.

Did the co-worker not set the emergency brake or have the truck in park? Did the company that serviced the brakes make an error and miss a needed repair? Is the brake manufacturer liable for distributing a flawed product?

At times such as this, accident reconstruction experts may become involved. Wrongful death litigation may determine who or what was at fault.

Source: WHDH, “Truck driver killed in accident at Quincy commuter boatyard,” Susan Tran, May 25, 2012

Source: CNN Money, America’s most dangerous jobs,” August 26, 2011