Truck Accidents

After putting profits over people for decades, the truck industry has shown little regard for human life while encouraging unsafe driving practices, which have led to terrible statistics. Every 16 minutes, someone is injured or killed in a truck accident in the United States.

Last month, a jury ordered YRC incorporated to pay a driver 12.2 Million dollars after he was hit by wheel off the rear of the tractor-trailer in 2008. The victim endured severe spinal injuries and traumatic brain injury. The driver hit his head on the roof of his car despite wearing a seat belt. His personality, memory, concentration, and ability to pay attention have all been dramatically affected by the truck accident.

YRC admitted responsibility for their negligence, which caused this horrible California truck accident, but say the driver is lying about his brain injury and argued his neck injury was unrelated to the accident. The jury took the side of the plaintiff in this case and the trucking industry lost this case.

This may be a huge victory that will pressure truck companies to better take care of truck maintenance and product defects. For too many years trucking companies have provided their drivers with sub-par equipment in order to save costs. These defective or poorly maintained brakes, tires, and other truck parts have caused thousands of injuries and accidents over the years. Every year over 5,000 truck accidents result in fatalities, and the driver and passengers of the smaller cars are usually the ones that end up killed due to the huge mass and size of commercial trucks.

Truck accidents are on the rise and this is due not only to product defects but to the pressure of unrealistic deadlines trucking companies place on their employees which pressure them to lose sleep and drive for illegal and extended amounts of hours in order to reach their destination on time. Placing too much or too large of a load on their trailers is also a way trucking companies try to save money but which cause even further truck accidents along California.

Contact a California truck accident attorney today if you have been involved in a truck accident around Orange County, Los Angeles, or anywhere else in California.

A Victorville car accident involving several vehicles resulted in injuries for at least seven people, the afternoon of November 7, 2011. According to a news report in The Press Enterprise, the chain-reaction crash occurred on the southbound 15 Freeway, when Cherie Hallack, 55, who was driving a Caltrans truck tried to enter traffic from the right shoulder and entered into the path of a big rig. The large truck driven by 57-year-old Vazgen Vartani swerved to avoid hitting the Caltrans truck and sideswiped a Honda Civic driven by 56-year-old Fadel G. Noumeh.

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Two people were injured, one of them seriously, in a Los Angeles car accident after a semi-truck barreled out of control and crashed into the backyard of a home. According to a news report in The Long Beach Press-Telegram, the injury crash occurred the evening of October 1, 2011 in the 11700 block of Centralia Street near Pioneer Boulevard. Officials say the truck that was pulling an empty trailer was traveling at a high rate of speed on Centralia when it lost control and crashed through cement wall lining the home's backyard. Two people who were in the yard at the time were injured. One of the victims is said to have suffered serious injuries, but is expected to survive. Officials are investigating the cause of this accident.

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Kathleen Blair, 41, of San Pedro was killed in a Long Beach car accident after the motorcycle on which she was a passenger, was struck by a vehicle. According to a City News Service report, the fatal motorcycle accident occurred in the southbound lanes of the 710 Freeway at Willow Street, the afternoon of September 26, 2011. Blair was a passenger on a 2004 Harley Davidson driven by 46-year-old Darrin E. Metzger. Officials say Metzger was riding the motorcycle at a high rate of speed and making unsafe lane changes. The collision apparently occurred as Metzger straddled the number one and two lanes in an attempt to pass a Nissan Murano and a big rig. The motorcycle struck the Murano. Both Metzger and Blair were ejected on impact. Blair was run over by the big rig. An investigation is ongoing.

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An estimated 5,000 are fatally injured in truck accidents nation-wide each year. With a population of close to 400,000, Anaheim has its fair share. With Disneyland, the Angel’s Stadium, and the Duck’s Pond in Anaheim, the amount of trucks needed to transport fuel and goods have become overly concentrated in this popular Orange County city. Unfortunately for an otherwise thriving town, the rate of truck collisions is unusually high compared with similar areas and could be prevented with safer trucking practices and laws.

Just recently on July 17th, 2011, a male passenger died off the 5 freeway in Anaheim due to a truck collision and the driver sustained serious injuries. Truck accident law in Anaheim is complex depending on California law, and various factors. The family of the victim may obtain wrongful death damages and see if any of the parties was negligent or engaging in unsafe driving such as being intoxication or overworked fatigue. Read the rest »

A woman sustained major injuries in a Long Beach car accident after her vehicle was struck by a semi-trailer. According to a news report in The Press-Telegram, the major injury collision occurred the night of August 24, 2011 near the 405 Freeway transition to the southbound 710 Freeway. California Highway Patrol officials say that the truck that was transitioning from the 405 to the 710 overturned on to the top of a Honda car. The woman, who was the driver of the Honda, suffered major injuries while the truck driver escaped with minor injuries. Officials are still trying to determine the cause of this accident. The driver of the Honda was extricated from her vehicle and transported to an area hospital. An investigation is ongoing.

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Bradley, 29, was killed in a Los Angeles motorcycle accident after he was hit by a truck. According to CBS Los Angeles, the fatal truck accident occurred near Arrow Highway and Aveneda Barbosa Street in Irwindale, the morning of August 21, 2011. Officials are trying to determine how the crash occurred and who was responsible for it. An investigation is ongoing.

My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Brian Bradley following this tragic accident. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

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Six people are dead and 28 others are still missing after a train accident involving the California Zephyr, an Amtrak passenger train connecting Chicago and Emeryville, California. According to news reports, the catastrophic train accident occurred the morning of June 24, 2011, when the train was struck by a semi tractor-trailer truck, at a road crossing. The 10-car train was almost near the end of its 2,438-mile route, about 260 miles from Emeryville, when the collision occurred. The gravel truck driver and the Amtrak conductor, Laurette Lee, 68, died at the scene. Another 76 people were treated at a local hospital for a variety of injuries from blunt trauma, including fractures, abrasions, lacerations and internal organ damage. Officials expect the casualty count to go up due to the large number of missing persons.

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The driver of a minivan was seriously injured in a Los Angeles car accident, which police report, involved an impaired big rig driver. According to an article in the Los Angeles Daily News, the truck accident occurred on the 101 Freeway near Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Studio City, the morning of February 1, 2011. The truck driver lost control when his vehicle slammed into the center divider and then collided with the minivan. The driver of the minivan was seriously injured, while the driver of the truck suffered relatively minor injuries. Police have arrested the truck driver on suspicion of drunk driving.

My thoughts and prayers are with the injured minivan driver following this Los Angeles truck accident. I wish the injured victim a complete and speedy recovery.

DUI Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 105 people were killed and 2,252 were injured in Los Angeles DUI collisions. During that same year, 258 fatalities and 4,832 injuries happened due to alcohol-related car accidents in Los Angeles County. Read the rest »

Dennis Magee, 37, made a narrow escape when he was nearly injured in an Oregon truck accident. According to a news article in the Curry Pilot, the big rig driver was delivering beer kegs in Brookings. As Magee began to unload the kegs, the big rig truck began to roll out of the parking lot. Magee was able to jump out of the trailer before the truck rolled down a 30-foot embankment plowing through blackberry bushes and chain link fences.

Brookings Police Officer Dustin Watson believes that the accident may have been caused by a mechanical malfunction.

Residents are relieved that no one was injured in this dangerous accident.

A number of employees at the Gerald Ross insurance office witnessed the big rig accident. The Office Manager, Sue Ross, was on a phone call when she noticed the truck rolling down the hill.

According to Ross, "It was very startling. The person on the other end of the phone heard the commotion in the office and asked what was happening."

Brookings, Oregon Truck Accident Lawyers

If you or a loved one has been injured in a big rig accident, it is a good idea to consult with an experienced Oregon truck accident lawyer. An experienced truck accident attorney can help you receive a fair settlement for your injuries.