Brian Anger Killed in 18-Wheeler Accident on Maine Turnpike in Wells
Wells, ME -- September 30, 2021, 52-year-old Brian Anger was killed in a collision with a tractor-trailer on the Maine Turnpike in Wells.
Authorities say the incident happened around 11:00 p.m. Thursday on the Turnpike near mile marker 20. Preliminary investigation suggests Anger's BMW vehicle was in the breakdown lane of the roadway when 24-year-old Sahib Singh approached in a commercial 18-wheeler. Singh reportedly changed lanes leftward to give the BMW a wide berth, but as the truck got closer Anger reportedly tried to merge the BMW back into traffic and cut across all the lanes to get to the nearby crossover. As the car moved through all three lanes it was hit on its driver's side by the semi-truck.
Anger received fatal injuries in the collision. No other injuries were reported.
The crash remains under investigation. No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Brian Anger Accident on Maine Tpk in Wells
I think at a glance some people may be too quick to judge this as a wreck where the victim made a mistake and pulled into the path of an 18-wheeler. That may in fact be what happened here, but it's important not to make premature judgments. News reports aren't really that specific about the chain of events because police don't yet know why things happened the way they did. But what else could there be to know?
A key factor in these crashes is timing. How much time lapsed between when the BMW entered the roadway and when the truck hit it? Obviously if only a few brief moments passed between the two events then there was little to nothing the truck driver could do about it. The way the news frames events that seems most likely the case in Maine. However, I've litigated cases where someone changed lanes or pulled into the path of an 18-wheeler and was already approaching highway speed when the truck, traveling much faster than the legal limit, hit them anyway. The aftermath of those two scenarios would look much the same, but their circumstances mean they would be approached very differently in terms of fault.
At this point no one can really say exactly what happened on the Maine Turnpike. Police have a rough picture of events but don't have all the details that could make a great deal of difference. Why was the BMW on the shoulder in the first place? How fast was the truck traveling? Did something prevent the victim from seeing the approaching truck? Did the truck driver have time or room to stop or steer clear of the car?
Tragically, one driver is unable to provide his side of the story so we can't know if it would align with the truck driver's. All we can say right now as investigators work to connect the dots is that someone was fatally injured. His loved ones deserve to know that every effort will be made to get the full story and the facts proving it. That will most likely require far more thorough investigations than the ones reported in the news. Once experienced accident reconstructionists look into this, it can be better determined how avoidable it was and whether any further steps should be taken.
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