Philadelphia Top Injury Lawyer Blog

As a Philadelphia injury lawyer, I was disappointed to read about the death of a bicyclist at the hands of a repeat drunk driver. According to WPVI, 22-year-old Brett Truskin of Bucks County is accused of hitting and killing a bicyclist just hours after his release on a previous DUI. Truskin is accused of hitting Gregory Loper, a 49-year-old father of 11, as he rode in a bicycle lane in Kensington, then attempting to flee the scene. The crash happened Friday evening, less than 24 hours after Truskin was arrested for DUI late on Thursday. The earlier crash involved three cars on Interstate 95 but did not result in any reported injuries. Truskin is being held on $475,000 bail.

Truskin, of Ivyland, started his brushes with the law Thursday night when he allegedly caused a three-car accident on the Interstate. No injuries were reported from that crash, but Pennsylvania state troopers tested his blood and found enough evidence to charge him with driving under the influence, as well as criminal mischief. They impounded his car, but he was released early Friday without bail. Later on Friday, Truskin was reportedly driving his mother's car down Lehigh Avenue in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia when he swerved into the bike lane and hit Loper. Witnesses said Truskin also hit several parked cars in the crash, but continued driving until he caused another accident. That crash injured an unidentified 52-year-old man who was taken to the hospital with stomach and back pain. Witnesses reportedly held Truskin at the scene until police could arrive. He is now facing an additional DUI, homicide by vehicle, causing an accident involving death, reckless endangerment and more.

Some of the reports on this focus on why authorities released Truskin without bail so quickly after his arrest. Given the trail of destruction he apparently created as soon as he got behind the wheel again, this question is understandable. While it's impossible to say whether the judge had reason to think Truskin would offend again so soon, it doesn't look like he learned anything from his first DUI experience. The Bensalem Patch.com also reports that Truskin had previous legal problems from which he may not have learned, including burglary charges from 2007 and theft and drug charges from 2010. This is not only unfortunate but tragic, because it caused the death of a father and grandfather who was doing nothing more than returning home from work. It's too late for authorities to stop this crash, unfortunately -- but the family, which may well have depended on his financial support, may still be able to seek justice through a Pennsylvania auto accident lawsuit.

The Philadelphia accident lawyers at Rosenbaum & Associates represent people across eastern Pennsylvania who have lost a loved one or suffered serious injuries because of a driver's negligence. This includes law-breaking and extremely bad decisions, such as the decision to drive under the influence, as well as ordinary inattention. When a crash takes a life or leaves victims with catastrophic injuries, families frequently face financial hardships as well as medical and emotional problems. Medical bills for serious injuries can add up very quickly -- and if the victim was a breadwinner, he or she is likely not working and not earning a paycheck from which to pay those bills. A lawsuit helps victims turn those costs back to the negligent people who caused them, so they can concentrate on recovering.