A woman from Kinston, North Carolina (NC), was driving her Ford sedan down U.S. 258 North around 8 pm when she rear-ended a Bobcat bulldozer on Hullwood Drive that was being operated by an out-of-town tree-cutter. Sounds like a clear-cut case of liability on the woman, right? Well, not so fast.
The bulldozer did not have its lights on or reflectors to illuminate it for oncoming traffic, according to enctoday.com. Both drivers suffered serious injuries, and the driver of the Ford was transported by EastCare helicopter to Pitt County Memorial Hospital.
The issue of which driver to charge remains unanswered by North Carolina police, but it is likely the bulldozer operator will face charges for failing to have their lights on. If the Kinston woman is forced to miss a significant amount of time from work due to her injury and racks up a large quantity of medical bills, she should consult with a car accident injury lawyer in North Carolina to discuss her legal options.
A bulldozer operator is classified as a heavy equipment operator, which may subject the tree-cutter to more regulations and safety requirements than the average driver of a car or SUV.
PA