A 31 year old Connecticut mother was killed on I-95 near Old Lyme, Connecticut on Dec. 1, when a tractor trailer hit her on the interstate shoulder while she was checking on her child in the backseat.

The Connecticut State Police stated that the woman, Ashley Ferguson, from Middletown CT, was standing near the driver side door at 11:30 am on Dce. 1 when she was hit by the truck at high speed.

The one year old child she was checking on, and another passenger, were not injured.

The police are investigating this tractor trailer accident and charges may be filed later.

Our View

All of our Virginia and North Carolina personal injury attorneys are saddened that this woman was needlessly killed when a truck sideswiped her on I-95. Our Commercial Drivers Manual in Virginia stresses how important it is for truck drivers to be very aware of space on all sides of their vehicle whatever the driving conditions. 

Given that the truck accident happened in broad daylight, we can assume that the truck driver should have been able to see the car and woman on the shoulder, but failed to react as he should have. Normally, a truck driver should move over into the next lane, or lower their speed so that the truck can pass the stopped vehicle safely.

In this type of tractor trailer accident, the lawyers for the trucking company may try to argue in court that the driver of the stopped vehicle contributed to the tragic truck accident. However, we have handled these types of truck sideswiping accidents before.

In one recent case, we were able to show through the hiring of a trucking liability and safety expert that the truck driver that the truck driver was liable for the accident. That particular case was settled for $2.25 million. 

The grieving family in this Connecticut truck accident could find that a wrongful death lawsuit may be able to provide the funds that will be needed to care for this woman’s child for years to come.