Family Sues Trucking Firms Over Fatal Crash Involving Pennsylvania State Trooper
The family of Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael E. Pahira Jr., who died in a highway crash, has filed a lawsuit against Augustin Freight Services LLC, an Alabama commercial motor carrier, and SNK Logistics LLC, a Texas freight broker. Trooper Pahira, 44, sustained fatal injuries on July 1 when a tractor-trailer crashed into the rear of a truck he was inspecting on Interstate 81 in Cass Township. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, seeks unspecified damages exceeding $150,000. According to attorney Clancy Boylan, the suit alleges negligence, reckless disregard for federal safety regulations, and failure to vet and supervise drivers on the part of the defendants. Boylan stated that SNK Logistics hired Augustin Freight Services despite having knowledge of, or reasonable access to, the carrier's safety issues through publicly available information. The complaint further alleges that Augustin Freight Services, a carrier with only four drivers, had a vehicle ou...