Monkeys Escape after Truck Crashes on Highway
An odd and frightening accident occurred on the Pennsylvania highway on or around January 21st, when a truck with an enclosed trailer carrying 100 monkeys collided with a dump truck. The collision and its aftermath allowed four of the monkeys to escape. The monkeys were on their way to a Florida lab when the crash happened.
The monkeys were extremely valuable as they are specifically bred for scientific research. A search for the monkeys was intense. Ground and aerial means were employed to find them. As of Saturday only one of the monkeys had been recovered. The public in the area were warned not to engage with the monkeys or to otherwise try to catch them as they could be dangerous.
Cargo Must be Loaded and Securely Fastened
Truck drivers, regardless of the loads they carry, must drive in a safe and prudent manner. Truckers have many special regulations that work to keep them and the rest of the driving public safe. Some examples include the total hours of service driven each day, weight restrictions on loads, and special permits and regulations on how to transport inherently dangerous cargos.
Special loads may include the hauling of rolls of steel or monkeys. Regardless of the cargo, there are restrictions on the total weight you may carry and how it must be secured. How to secure and balance loads is regulated in order to insure that the truck carrying it does not have an enhanced roll over risk, or that the load can break off the truck trailer and fall onto the roadway. Another example may include any number of chemicals being transported by truck. These chemicals must be loaded and secured with special care. This is done to minimize the risks of having some dangerous substance escape the truck’s trailer, tank, or other form of storage. If the chemical cargo should escape, it could do great harm to other persons and the environment.
The monkeys can be understood, apart from the odd and possibly funny image of them running loose on the highway, as just another type of a dangerous cargo that should have been secured with the utmost of care.
Any deviance from securing the cargo with a mind towards avoiding any foreseeable risk of damage or escape of the monkeys can be negligence.
All the Parties to Look at for Fault
In any loose cargo or improper loading case, several different parties could be bear responsibility. The truck driver hauling the cargo must drive in a safe and prudent manner to avoid an accident.  He or she also needs to insure the cargo is properly secured and the load balanced. The trucking company may bear some responsibility for the negligence of the driver and/or for not having or enforcing safety policies. Additionally, the company that shipped and/or loaded the cargo can also face liability.
Reach Out to Our Legal Team Today
Accidents like this, or any other truck accident where some type of dangerous load can harm others, requires important questions be answered so we can understand who is at fault and maximize your recovery. This requires the expertise and detailed analysis of experienced attorneys. Our lawyers are highly skilled in sorting out all the special rules and regulations that govern truck drivers, the trucks, and the loads that they can carry. If you or a loved one has been involved in a trucking related accident, call Charles E. Boyk Law Offices and speak with an experienced lawyer regarding your truck accident case. Â Our firm handles trucking cases in Ohio and Michigan.
