NYS DOT Plows Not Responsible For Hitting Vehicles?
A Schenectady man was caught completely off guard this month when he was informed that the state wouldn’t be paying to fix his car after a DOT snow plow hit him and caused damage. The reason is a little-known law in New York, which makes plow drivers immune from legal responsibility in such auto accidents.
Frank Palumbo was driving his 1993 Ford Taurus after a snow storm. He saw the DOT plow clearing the road on the right and decided to safely pass the plow on the left. But, as he passed the plow, the truck crossed the center lane, hitting Palumbo’s Taurus. Though Palumbo stopped his vehicle, as you should when involved in an auto accident, the plow driver kept going, not realizing that he had just hit the Taurus. Continue reading
5 Months After Auto Accident, Driver Criminally Charged
He spent about 5 months in the hospital. And when he came out, it wasn’t to a “welcome home” party; it was to an arraignment.
Forty-three year old James E. Anderson was involved in a serious head-on collision on September 11, 2011, an accident that landed two other people in the hospital as well. He was found at fault after it was discovered that he was legally intoxicated. Now he faces criminal charges in addition to any civil liabilities filed by a New York car accident attorney representing the injured parties.
Anderson, of New York City, was driving on the Bear Mountain State Parkway early on that September morning. At about 1 a.m., according to The Daily Cortlandt, he crossed the center line and drove into oncoming traffic. Continue reading