Rochester, NY Truck Accident Lawyers

Rochester, New York, population 197,347 (2008 U.S. Census), is on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. Rochester is New York's third most populous city after New York City and Buffalo. Rochester is east of Buffalo and west of Syracuse. Rochester is the county seat of Monroe County.

Rochester is the birthplace of amateur photography and the "Capital of Imaging." The latter is due to the large number of firms engaged in the imaging and optical science industry, such as Eastman Kodak, Xerox and Bausch and Lomb. The University of Rochester's Institute of Optics and the Rochester Institute of Technology in nearby Henrietta, each have imaging programs.

Rochester, New York has a number of cultural attractions. The Strong National Museum of Play documents the history of play. The Susan B. Anthony House is a mecca for students of the women's rights movement. Photography enthusiasts will enjoy the collections at the George Eastman House, an international museum of photography and film. Nearly all of Rochester's attractions are family-friendly. Rochester is consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the nation for raising a family.

Water plays a major part in the history and present of the City of Rochester.  Rochester was founded in the early 1800s as a village on the Genesee River, which flows northward through the city, over a set of three waterfalls. A number of flour mills used the three waterfalls on the river for power, and Rochester became known as "Flour Town." After the Erie Canal was routed through Rochester, the small village became a major trade center for grain being shipped east, and goods being shipped west.

Transportation in Rochester, NY is not limited to waterways. The Greater Rochester International Airport, located just southwest of Rochester, and Amtrak serve the city. Due to Rochester's location on Lake Ontario, Interstate 90, also known as the New York State Thruway, passes a few miles to the south of the city, near the southern suburbs of Rochester. Interstate 490 serves Rochester, connecting at east and west ends to I-90 (the NY State Thruway).

The roadway system in Rochester is comprised of inner and outer loops, with the inner loop being the urban expressway around the downtown area. The inner loop begins and ends at Interstate 490, which runs east-west through the middle of the city. The feeder roads come into Rochester from the west, east and south. From the west are the Lake Ontario State Parkway, NY-531 and I-490; Interstate 390 feeds from the south; NY-104, NY-441 and I-490 approach from the east. Interstate 390 is an important connecting route between the Buffalo and Rochester metropolitan areas.

The continuing increase in freight transport by tractor trailers coupled with the North American Free Trade Agreement and Rochester's close proximity to the Canadian border have resulted in large numbers of semi trucks on the roadways in and around Rochester, NY. The Finger Lakes region is a strategic distribution point for goods, the majority of which are moved by large trucks. Interstates 90 and 390 are the major arteries connecting the Northeast, Midwest and Southern markets and Rochester commuters routinely share these roadways with large trucks. The congestion caused by tractor trailer traffic along these roadways has made the potential for crashes and accidents between commuter traffic and truck traffic a growing area of concern.

The New York State 2009 Highway Safety Annual Report states that for the past two decades, New York has made significant strides in highway safety, reducing motor vehicle fatalities by 46% between 1989 and 2008. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles reported 12,546 accidents in New York in 2008 involving large trucks, with 105 of these accidents involving fatalities. These statistics include large trucks involved in accidents with other vehicles, large truck and pedestrian accidents, tractor trailer and bicycle accidents, and semi truck and motorcycle accidents.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's No Zone Campaign, most crashes involving cars and trucks occur in broad daylight, on straight and dry pavement, during normal weather, and with no indications of alcohol use. In nine out of 10 fatal collisions, the deceased was an occupant of the passenger vehicle and, due to the stopping distance needed, a truck involved in a collision often entangled multiple cars.

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