Lawrence Henry Killed in Springfield, MA, Truck Accident
Springfield, MA -- July 15, 2017, Lawrence Henry was killed as the result of an accident where his bicycle was struck by a semi-trailer.
According to preliminary information released by the Springfield Police, the incident took place at around 4:00 a.m. in the 1800 block of Page Boulevard.
Preliminary reports indicate that 51-year-old Henry was traveling along Page Boulevard on a bicycle at the time. Somehow, his bike crossed paths with a tractor-trailer that failed to avoid him in time. This resulted in a collision.
Henry died as a result of the collision. Police did not report any charges or citations resulting from the accident.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Map of the Area
Commentary
One of the things that is difficult about an accident happening in early morning hours is that often the only witnesses to the crash are those involved. What makes this such an important issue to consider is the fact that a lot of police investigations are determined solely based on witness testimony. So what happens when one of the people involved is killed in the accident? Well, as grim as it is to say, sometimes their perspective never gets told. Sometimes people will go so far as to lie to investigators or otherwise mitigate their own contributions to the accident.
It may come as no surprise that trucking companies are often responsible for these kinds of scenarios. We had one accident not long ago out of Louisiana where a woman was killed after her car crashed with an 18-wheeler. The truck driver reported that the woman crossed over the center line and hit his rear axle. Sounds reasonable enough, or at least the police investigators seemed to think so.
Further investigations from the scene and the two vehicles, however, revealed that the truck driver had taken a curve too fast, and the trailer swung into the woman's path. Had those investigations never been done, the woman's family might never have known the truth that was replaced by the truck driver desperate to shirk his responsibility for the accident.
Now I'm not saying that happened here, but I've seen it far too often not to at least be concerned. One of the reasons I repeatedly advocate for private investigators is for this very possibility. An at-fault driver can influence investigations through their testimony, but if an experienced investigator is able to look at the vehicles and at the scene, then such shady tactics can be overcome.
Victims and their families deserve a fair chance at getting justice. Perhaps further investigations will simply confirm what reports have already said, or maybe they reveal previously unknown information. Regardless of the outcome, those affected by an accident like this deserve to know both sides of the story.
--Grossman Law Offices
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