• 11
  • February
    2012

A New York man was killed when the car he was driving was hit head-on by a tractor-trailer about 260 miles north of Newburgh.

The five-vehicle car accident was on State Route 11 in Philadelphia, New York. Officials said distracted driving was a contributing factor in the crash.

Law enforcement officials said a car driven by a 23-year-old Watertown resident crossed into oncoming traffic and was struck by the 18-wheeler. The large truck then collided head-on with a car driven by a 40-year-old man, who died as a result of his injuries.

After hitting the big rig, the Watertown man's car ran into another car head-on.

A driver of a fifth vehicle took evasive action, avoiding the other vehicles, but hitting the guard rail.

Three drivers were transported to area hospitals with injuries deemed to be non-life-threatening.

Law enforcement officials said the 23-year-old Watertown man hadn't been paying attention to the road, causing the initial collision.

As we've noted in this space before, distracted driving is a real danger. It's not just theoretical and it doesn't just happen to others. Accidents are caused every day by drivers who are using their cell phones or simply not paying attention to the road, weather or traffic conditions.

The statistics on distracted driving are staggering: You are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near-crash if you use a cell phone while behind the wheel.

The person who sends a text message while driving has their eyes off of the road for a full five seconds. At 60 miles per hour, the person sending the text travels 440 feet while looking at their phone and not looking at the vehicle stopping ahead of them, the bend in the road, the traffic light that just turned red or anything else.

And that's when car accidents that leave people with injuries -- sometimes fatal injuries -- can happen.

Source: northcountrygazette.com: "Head On Crash With Tractor Trailer Claims Life," Feb. 7, 2012