Quick-thinking heroes save life of truck accident victim

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When most of us see a New Jersey State Police trooper idling on the side of the road or just off an entrance ramp, we automatically step on the brakes and check our rearview mirror out of fear of getting a ticket. While this is understandable, it's important to stop and remember that these brave men and women are not just there to issue traffic citations or make life difficult for motorists, rather they are there to help keep us safe. To illustrate, consider a recent story in which the quick thinking and heroic efforts of a state trooper and turnpike worker helped save the life of a man who suffered serious personal injuries in a truck accident. At around 6:40 p.m. back on September 18, a state trooper monitoring traffic near a construction site at the Carneys Point toll plaza received a call from dispatch informing him that a box truck had rolled over in the ditch near northbound milepost 1.8. Preliminary reports would later indicate that the box truck failed to stop while merging, and was forced to swerve into the right lane of traffic where it struck a tractor trailer. Here, the sheer force of the collision forced the box truck into the ditch where it rolled over. Upon arriving at the scene, the trooper and a construction foreman who had come to offer assistance discovered that the driver of the box truck had suffered a severe leg injury and was in danger of dying from blood loss. With no time to lose, the two men sprang into action, using the trooper's trauma kit to apply quick clot gauze and tourniquet to the wounded leg and keeping the injured man calm until more emergency responders could arrive. This feat becomes all the more miraculous when you consider that the injured man was actually trapped inside the truck cabin. While the injured man ultimately ended up having his injured leg amputated, it's highly likely that he wouldn't be alive today if the trooper and turnpike worker hadn't acted so heroically. Those who have been injured in devastating truck accidents should understand that they can seek the justice they deserve and that they should strongly consider speaking with an experienced attorney. Source: NBC Philadelphia, "Trooper, turnpike worker help save man’s life after crash," Danielle Johnson and Lauren DiSanto, Sep. 19, 2013; The South Jersey Times, "N.J. State Police trooper saves man's life on turnpike after severe accident," Don Woods, Sept. 19, 2013