On Tuesday, a man was killed after he crashed into a parked truck in Queens, New York.
The man was traveling on a Queens Midtown Expressway when he encountered the tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder.
Trucker sleep spot a factor in deadly LIE crash: Queens residents https://t.co/5glEDk4umh pic.twitter.com/ja9FdBJ6fw
— NYTransitAccidents (@TransitAccident) August 10, 2017
Police Rush To The Scene
The crash happened around 1:40 p.m. when the white SUV left the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth, New York. According to the Queens Courier, “Officers from the 104th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a motor vehicle collision… Upon their arrival, police found 27-year-old man Kevin Hurtes, of Westbury, in a white 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee with trauma to the head and body.”
Long Island man dies in Queens expressway wreck https://t.co/AR0kx72gn3 pic.twitter.com/0ml0hEFVUN
— NYTransitAccidents (@TransitAccident) August 9, 2017
Hurtes was later pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured. Police are still investigating the sobriety of Hurtes during the time of the accident. No charges have been made as the Collison Investigation Squad continue their investigation.
Trucks Have Rest Stops
The NY Daily News claim that truck drivers have been using this exit in Queens as a resting stop since 1993. A local woman named Kim Ronzo, 42, told The Daily News, “I’ve been living here since 1993 and trucks have been parking there the whole time. Trucks have rest stops. They shouldn’t be stopping there when it’s a busy exit. It’s sad that someone had to get that phone call … because of it.”
Since the accident, police are investigating ways to improve the safety this off-ramp.
No Parking Here
It is an ever increasing issue for truck drivers to find safe and appropriate parking when they need to stop. Hours of service restrictions make it difficult for drivers to plan when and where they can stop to park; unfortunately, drivers are often times forced to park in unsafe, unlit, and inconvenient places.
Many factors contribute to the widespread parking issue, making it difficult to solve this severe problem.
In a press release last year ATA President and CEO Bill Graves agrees saying, “Access to safe truck parking is a critical issue for the trucking industry. It is important for America’s professional drivers to have access to safe parking so they can get their required off-duty rest. Efforts like this to inform drivers about the availability of parking spaces can only help drivers as they deliver our nation’s economy and move us forward.”