A truck driver killed a cyclist on Sixth Avenue in New York City on April 20.

According to the police on the scene, the biker and the trucker were traveling in the same direction on Sixth Avenue, and the trucker passed the cyclist on the left. It is a narrow road and is not a normal truck route. Witnesses say that the biker collided with the rear wheel of the rig and died at the scene.

Trucks that are longer than 55 feet are permitted in that area with a permit, but the loan must be ‘non-divisable,’ such as construction beams. A trailer that carries loose cargo, such as the rig that was in this crash, would not be allowed if longer than 55 feet.

Sources at the scene stated that the biker may have been holding the side of the truck, but one witness said he did that only because he was trying to not be run over.

A resident of Sixth Avenue told the media that locals have attempted for years to get police to enforce regular truck route violations, but that precinct rarely gives out traffic citations to such truckers.

Our Virginia personal injury attorneys have represented many grieving families who lost a loved one to a negligent truck driver. The above case sounds as if the trucker could be in violation of local traffic laws regarding oversized loads. Whether that is the case or not, there may be a possible wrongful death lawsuit in this truck crash case, given some of the testimony at the scene from witnesses.

There are many situations where a trucker acting negligently can lead to serious accidents. In some cases, they fall asleep behind the wheel, or do not control a known medical condition, or in the above case, drive their truck in a place that they perhaps should not. In all cases, innocent people can die, and we wish that more truck drivers would take their commercial driving duties more seriously.