Driver Killed by Mattress in the Roadway

A tanker truck driver was killed when his truck crashed into another vehicle and caught fire on the New Jersey Turnpike last month. The flames and billowing smoke caused a shutdown of the northbound western spur of the turnpike near Route 280. The driver of the other vehicle went to the hospital with minor injuries.

According to police, the driver had encountered suddenly slowing traffic and lost control of his truck, striking the right guardrail and bursting into flames after overturning. The presence of several mattresses and box springs in the roadway is reportedly the cause of the traffic slowdown. You can read full details on this story here.

 

Who Could Be Liable for Damages?

The law requires truckers, and indeed all motorists, to properly secure their cargo in order to avoid just this sort of accident. It’s not known how the mattresses came to be in the roadway; they presumably fell from a truck. The driver of that truck, or the company operating it, may be liable for damages if the injured motorist or the family of the tanker driver decides to pursue legal action for financial compensation in this case.