New Jersey’s roads are dangerous even when everyone is trying to use their best behavior. Crowded highways, drivers in a hurry and confusing intersections all contribute to vehicle accidents. The Garden State also has a reputation for aggressive driving. In some situations, someone who is angry behind the wheel expresses their frustration through their car horn or their finger. However, unchecked road rage can be very harmful, and possibly even deadly.
Police say that a fatal incident on the New Jersey Turnpike involving two trucks arose from a dispute that led one of the drivers to ram his rig into the other. Joseph M. Nyandwaro, a 41-year-old tractor-trailer driver from Pearland, Texas, is now facing severe criminal charges based in part on video evidence where he appears to be laughing after striking the other vehicle. He is charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, alongside a charge of fourth-degree tampering with evidence.
While driving in Gloucester County, Nyandwaro crashed his vehicle into Osman Aden’s truck, sending it into a concrete barrier. From there, Aden’s truck careened into a group of trees. Like many commercial vehicles, the rig driven by Nyandwaro was equipped with advanced technology, including a camera that recorded what happened, which is how Nyandwaro’s reaction was captured. The vehicle’s owner, U.S. Highway Express, Inc., provided the footage to police.
Information gathered from a vehicle’s electronic data recorder is often critical in truck accident cases. Here, it showed that Nyandwaro left the Turnpike at the next exit following the collision and stayed off the highway for approximately 90 minutes. At that point, the rig got back on the Turnpike, traveling through its northern end near the George Washington Bridge. An examination of the suspect’s truck showed paint that appeared to come from victim’s truck, as well as what seemed like efforts to conceal the damage from the purported road-rage collision.
Seigel Law in Ridgewood has recovered more than $500 million for clients in various types of personal injury and wrongful death matters. Our firm draws on decades of experience to secure substantial settlements and verdicts in cases arising out of New Jersey accidents. Please call 201-444-4000 or contact us online for a free consultation if you or a loved one has been hit by a car or truck.