Semi and Passenger Vehicles Collide in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident and personal injury lawyer. On April 29, Sacramento was the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash on 44th Avenue when a semi and other vehicles collided. One of the cars involved in the accident sustained significant damage to its front end as a result, and at least one person was injured.
Crash Details
The accident took place shortly before 2:00 in the afternoon at 44th and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard between the Golden State Highway and Franklin Boulevard. The two other vehicles involved in the crash were both Toyotas, one silver, and one black. According to a report by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), emergency medical personnel were called to examine one individual riding as a passenger who suffered minor injuries in the crash and did not require hospitalization. No further details about the accident have been released at the time of this report.
Trucks Vs. Passenger Vehicles
Even minor infractions on the highway, such as cutting in front of another vehicle, can result in significant damages due to freeway speeds, mainly if one of the vehicles is a truck. One of the main issues, when an accident between such vehicles occurs, is the relative size of the truck compared to the smaller, lighter passenger vehicle. This increases the potential for severe injuries and even death. Accidents with trucks can be due to poor driving whether by the trucker or the passenger vehicle driver. Head-on collisions account for 32 percent of all deaths while 22 percent are due to rear-end collisions.
The incidence of Truck Crashes With Passenger Vehicles
In 2016, 2,642 occupants of passenger vehicles died in accidents with trucks. Truck occupants who died in the crashes numbered 660. About 73 percent of the deaths were in accidents with large trucks. Ninety-two percent of the deaths occurred on highways and other major throughways. Only 7 percent of the accidents happened on minor roads. Forty-eight percent of the crashes happened during the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Passenger Vehicle Driver Negligence
Sometimes, the driver of a car, SUV or pickup makes an error that can lead to a truck accident. Some mistakes that are commonly seen are listed below.
- Turning in front of an oncoming truck without adequately gauging the speed at a crossroad
- Not giving a truck driver sufficient space when the trucker is trying to change lanes or merge into traffic from an onramp
- Ignoring warnings that a truck driver cannot see other vehicles to the side and behind them, called no zones
- Trying to pass on the right, mainly when the truck is trying to turn right
- Merging in front of a truck from an onramp or the shoulder of the road when a truck is passing without providing enough space
Truck Driver Negligence
Truckers can be at-fault in an accident with a passenger vehicle. Some negligent actions found in a study of nearly 1,000 truck accidents were:
- The unfamiliarity of an area through which the truck is traveling
- Use of over-the-counter drugs
- Illegal drug use
- Prescription drug use
- Alcohol use while driving
- Speed as a factor coupled with the size of the big rig involved
- Truck driver’s failure to check blind spots
- Driver fatigue
- Driving aggressively
- Not slowing down on wet or icy roads
- Driving distracted
- Delivery trucks not slowing down in a residential neighborhood
- Garbage trucks failing to give pedestrians the right of way and forgetting to check that no one is behind them when backing up
Sacramento Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident and personal injury lawyer. If you are involved in an accident with a large truck, reach out to me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. I will provide you with friendly and free advice. You can contact me online also.
I’ve helped residents of Sacramento and the surrounding area for more than 36 years obtain compensation for many types of accidents as well as wrongful death.
You might want to know more about our practice. Just click on any of the following links:
I am a California member of the Million Dollar Forum. We are a nationwide group of trial attorneys who have obtained case verdicts worth more than 1 million dollars for past clients.
Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/police-houston-texas-hpd-3252205/
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