California Injury Blog

A woman suffered critical injuries in a Pico Rivera big rig accident after the tractor of the big rig slammed into her compact car sending the vehicle into a telephone pole. The driver of the big rig reportedly took off and officials are still looking for this person, according to a CBS News report. The big rig accident reportedly occurred at the intersection of Telegraph Road and Paramount Boulevard.

According to reports, the truck traveling without a trailer, hit the woman’s compact car at the intersection. The car was so badly mangled that firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the woman free. The victim has not yet been identified by officials, who say she was lucky that her injuries were not worse or fatal. Anyone with information about the accident or the hit-and-run driver is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421.

This is obviously a horrible accident. We can only imagine what this victim’s loved ones must be going through at this time. We sincerely hope and pray that she gets justice and that can only happen when this heartless truck driver who hit her and left her on the road gets apprehended and is held accountable for his actions. The news report says that this driver was only driving the tractor portion of a tractor trailer. But if he was on the job and driving the big rig – which he most likely was -- his employer could also be held liable for the accident along with the driver.

It is also interesting to think about why this driver fled the scene. Did he simply panic? Did he have other violations or priors that he did not want the cops to find out about? Or were alcohol and/or drugs involved in the accident? These questions may be answered once police catch the driver, who will and should face felony hit-and-run charges.

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A driver from South Florida is in the hospital with severe injuries after a tractor trailer loaded with 2-liter Coca Cola bottles flipped onto his car in Miramar. According to an article on CBS News’ Web site, the big rig driver, for some reason, lost control of his vehicle, which toppled on to a Honda Civic, trapping and injuring driver Eduardo Ibarro.

According to fire department officials who carried out the rescue operation, Ibarro was significantly entrapped in the vehicle. The tractor trailer was actually on top of part of the passenger’s side of the Honda trapping the patient’s leg under the car’s dashboard. The Coca Cola bottles were reportedly strewn all over the roadway, which crews spent a good deal of time cleaning up. The driver of the big rig was reportedly unhurt. Ibarro is said to be recovering and suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Continue reading "Tractor Trailer Loaded With Coca-Cola Bottles Overturns On Car, Causes Injuries" »

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A judge ruled this week that the driver of a runaway dump truck and the company that employed him must both stand vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with a horrible traffic accident in Rancho Cucamonga that killed one person and injured several others, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported.

The judge categorically stated during the hearing, the newspaper reports, that both Adam Ahlberg, the driver, and the company, Clark Grading, knew that the truck had defective brakes before it hit the road on June 16, 2006. The heavy truck careened out of control on Archibald Avenue because the brakes failed and struck pretty much everything in its way. It reportedly came to a stop only after running a red light at Arrow Highway and colliding with an Omnitrans bus and another Rancho Cucamonga public works truck.

Officials described the death and destruction caused by this runaway dump truck as something similar to a bomb explosion. The driver of the city truck, Angel Calzada, a 20-year veteran of the public works department, was killed in the accident. Investigators discovered that not only did Ahlberg know that the brakes on the truck were problematic but the problems were so bad that the California Highway Patrol once ordered the truck off the road after issuing a citation for faulty brakes. Of course, Ahlberg’s employers knew about it because he repeatedly noted the problems on his log as he is supposed to.

Continue reading "Dump Truck Driver and Trucking Company Face Vehicular Manslaughter Charges" »

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A 38-year-old El Cajon man died after a big rig slammed through his backyard and sent him into his swimming pool, missing his toddler daughter by inches, according to a Channel 10 news report. Officials said Kevin Vicary and his 2-year-old daughter were near the pool in their home as Vicary was cleaning it.

The chain reaction accident occurred when a Ford minivan ran a red light and struck the semi truck. The big rig then careened out of control and hit two other cars before crashing into the fence and going into the pool, the article said. The impact of the crash threw Vicary into the pool. He died from the injuries while his daughter was unharmed.

The truck driver and people in the other vehicle suffered bruises and minor injuries. Police have still not charged or cited anybody in connection with this incident. However, officials are saying preliminary investigations do show that the female driver of the minivan, whose name has not been released, ran the red light at a nearby intersection and triggered the crash.

Continue reading "Big Rig Chain Reaction Accident Kills San Diego Man" »

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Our firm recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the three daughters of Ronald Lee Nichols who was killed in a truck accident when an 18-wheeler, allegedly driven by Timothy Ray Johnson and owned by Foston Trucking, jumped the curb and ran over Nichols. We filed the lawsuit in the Alameda County Superior Court seeking unspecified damages on behalf of Nichols’ daughters.

It’s important to note here that Nichols’ daughters filed their wrongful death lawsuit only after the Oakland-based trucking company denied their claim for compensation. Why did they deny it? Because they say Mr. Nichols was unemployed at the time, had a prior criminal record and that his daughters are grown and not minors.

The tragic incident occurred Feb. 18, 2006 when Nichols was walking on a public sidewalk adjacent to the East Bay Municipal Utilities District in Oakland. It was at that time when the large truck ran him over and crashed through a wrought iron fence surrounding the municipal utility. According to a police report, officers at first didn’t even think anyone was injured until they looked under the 18-wheeler. They then saw Nichols under the front axle impaled through his chest by the wrought iron fence.

Continue reading "Bisnar Chase Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Oakland Trucking Company" »

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A Claremont couple was reportedly killed in a big rig accident when their car plowed into a jackknifed big rig on the Interstate 8 in Mission Valley. According to a news article on Fox News’ Web site, the tractor trailer veered out of control and rammed into a median wall and came to a stop across four of the five freeway lanes in the wee hours of the morning. Barely a minute after the big rig jackknifed, the 2004 Kia Amanti driven by 64-year-old Frank Bilyeu plowed into the stalled commercial vehicle and burst into flames, the article said.

Both the driver and his wife, Shirley Bilyeu, were pronounced dead at the scene. They had to be identified using dental records, Fox reported. The driver of the big rig, Abukar Suri Ali, of Greensboro, N.C. and a 27-year-old passenger riding with him in the truck’s cab were uninjured. Ali reportedly told investigators that he lost control of the semi when he swerved to avoid an animal on the freeway. California Highway Patrol officials are asking anyone who saw the accident to call them at 619-220-5492.

Continue reading "Couple Killed in Fiery Mission Valley Big Rig Accident" »

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A 21-year-old man suffered severe injuries in a big-rig crash in Santa Ana after he slammed his Honda Civic into the back of a semi truck, The Orange County Register reports. The accident happened at the 100 block of E. Dyer Road near Main Street, according to police reports.

Initial reports from the investigation apparently revealed that the semi was pulling out of a driveway on Dyer and had started heading east, which was when the Honda crashed into the rear of the truck. The impact of the crash left the Civic wedged under the truck. Firefighters had to extricate the driver from the crumpled car, the Register reports.

Officials said they came to the conclusion initially that the driver of the Civic was going too fast because of the large amount of skid marks they found. They say he must have seen the truck and stepped on the brakes, but couldn’t stop in time. The big-rig driver was not injured.

Continue reading "Man Suffers Major Injuries In Rear-End Truck Accident" »

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I came across an article that very well explained the problem of overloaded big-rigs and the dangers they pose to themselves and other vehicles on our roadways. We often hear about big-rig drivers losing control of their vehicles and slamming into others on the road. Often, these types of accidents result in fatalities. And usually, it’s the drivers or passengers of the other vehicles who get seriously or fatally injured, not the occupants of the big-rigs.

What makes these vehicles lethal on our highways is their size and weight. As this article well states, the greater the weight of the truck, the more likely that it will become a death machine that bolts out of control. Overloaded trucks have an increased propensity to be involved in accidents because the increased weight means the truck cannot stop quickly and is more likely to lose control.

Traffic investigators believed that overloading may have been a factor in a Mission Viejo big rig accident where the truck, overloaded with electronic equipment, lost control and slammed into the back of a family’s minivan, crushing and killing three young children. In that case, the driver was also speeding and the overloading just worsened the situation.

Continue reading "Overloaded Big-Rigs: A Dangerous Wrong That Must Be Righted" »

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Here is a list of some of the big rig and big truck accidents that occurred around the country recently:

“Pig rig crash?”: A stretch of the 60 Freeway in the City of Industry was snarled after a big rig carrying live pigs spilled a load of the animals on the freeway, killing some of the animals. According to an article in CBS News’ Web site, the big rig accident occurred on the connector from the southbound San Gabriel River (605) Freeway to the westbound 60 Freeway. The bus driver, identified as Claud Emmett Martin, 58, of Arizona, was driving south on the transition road when he changed lanes and steered to the left, officials said. He suffered minor injuries in the incident.

Dangerous big-rig load: A woman was dead in Pasadena, Texas, after a tank fell off from a big rig and crushed her sport utility vehicle, the local KPRC Channel reports. According to local police, the tractor trailer with an oversize load went under a railroad overpass that was too low for it. The woman died at the scene. The big-rig driver apparently had state approval to travel in this route, which is required for such cargo.

Continue reading "Big Rig Accident Round Up" »

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Four Orange County residents died in a violent crash involving a big rig on a Tennessee highway when they were driving cross-country to visit family. The car went under a tractor trailer and got wedged underneath the big rig, the Jackson Sun newspaper reports. Those who died in the crash were: Judith Stele, 69; Rheta Kanter, 72; Brandt Stele, 69; and Gloria Friedman, 65.

The accident occurred when, for some unknown reason, their 2003 Toyota Avalon crossed the median into oncoming traffic and went under the tractor trailer. Judith Stele was driving the four-door sedan and it’s not clear why or how she lost control of the vehicle. Alcohol was reportedly not a factor in the fatal crash. All four who died were residents of Laguna Woods, the newspaper reported. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured in the accident. The Orange County Register reports that the four friends were driving on a clear day and in good weather.

Continue reading "4 Orange County Residents Dead In Tennessee Big Rig Accident" »

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This is unbelievable. A U.S. Court of Appeals twice struck down the Bush administration’s regulation giving truck drivers more time behind the wheel. But last week, the Department of Transportation (DOT), a federal agency paid for with our tax dollars, decides to reinstate this regulation, which is controversial because it doesn’t make sense.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) not only brought the regulation back, but in the process increased truck drivers’ Hours of Service (HOS) to 11 continuous driving hours and 88 hours in an eight-day period (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/12/17/073670.html). The new rule significantly increases truck drivers’ workdays by 40 percent, more hours over an eight-day period and allows them to drive 28 percent more hours over the same eight-day time period.

This beats logic because it is a known fact that tired truckers cause a majority of big rig crashes around the nation. These are crashes that mostly result in fatalities or catastrophic injuries and 97 percent of the time, the people in the other vehicle (not the big rig) are the most injured or affected.

Fatigue is known to be a major contributor to fatal truck crashes. The National
Transportation Safety Board and other safety research groups all over the world, have found that nearly 40 percent of big truck crashes are caused by driver fatigue. After 17 to19 hours without sleep, a driver’s reaction time is up to 50 percent slower, which is apparently the same as having a .05 percent blood alcohol level.

Continue reading "Big Rig Drivers’ Hours Of Operation Could Be Increased" »

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The parents of two young girls who were killed in a big rig crash in Madera County last year, have reached a $9 million settlement with the trucking company, the Fresno Bee reported. The accident occurred June 9, 2006 when a concrete pumper truck rear-ended the family car on Highway 41, the article said.

The sisters – Korren Radke, 7, and Chloe Baker, 2, died in the chain reaction crash. The speeding big rig hit the family’s car, which was among several stopped for a disabled vehicle on the freeway. Chloe’s parents – Charles Baker and Amber Allen-Baker -- will receive $7.5 million in the wrongful death lawsuit while Korren’s dad, Craig Radke, will get about $1.5 million. Amber is also Korren’s mother.

Another woman, whose car was hit by the big rig after it hit the Bakers’ car, will get $75,000 from the settlement, the newspaper reported. A settlement usually means that the trucking company pays without admitting fault. But California Highway Patrol officials reportedly said that the driver employed by Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping was driving at an unsafe speed and was not able to stop.

Continue reading "Girls’ Parents Settle For $ 9 Million in Fatal Big Rig Crash" »

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A 2006 Honda Civic collided with a Freightliner tanker truck on Highway 37 Friday morning killing Micheal McIntosh, 24, of Travis Air Force Base according to Vallejo, California fire officials, as reported on the Times-Herald website.

The big rig accident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. when the Honda spun into the path of the oncoming Freightliner tanker truck, just west of the Mare Island Bridge the California Highway Patrol said. The driver of the Honda, Hannah Johnson, 20, of Fairfield allegedly lost control while traveling about 60 mph, east bound on Highway 37. Johnson sustained moderate injuries.

Jonathan Dinisio, 27, of Solvang, another passenger in the Honda, was airlifted to John Muir Medical Center with major injuries. According to the Times-Herald news report, fire officials said it took 19 minutes to extract Dinisio from the Honda after the 14 minutes it took to get McIntosh out. McIntosh died on the way to the hospital from major head injuries, fire officials said.

Continue reading "Vallejo Tanker Truck Accident Kills One, Three Injured" »

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An Arizona jury awarded $36.5 million this week to the family of a man who was killed in a Kansas big rig crash. According to an article in the Arizona Republic, the four-week trial ended the way it did because the trucking company did not want to hand over driver logs that the company is required to maintain under federal regulations.

The verdict included more than $13.5 million in punitive damages. The logs, which Swift Transportation Co. said it could not produce, would have helped plaintiff’s attorneys and jurors determine whether the big rig driver was driving more hours than he was legally permitted or whether he was fatigued at the time of the crash. The jury not only considered the truck company’s attitude in this case but also the fact that the accident victim, 57-year-old Thomas Steven, was survived by his wife and eight children, ranging in age from 13 to 26, the newspaper reported. Steven was reportedly the owner of a plumbing supply business in Wichita.

The crash happened in April 2004 when the big rig driver did not slow down on a Kansas highway intersection. He reportedly cruised over three sets of rumble strips meant to caution drivers about an approaching stop sign. Then, he drove right through the stop sign and slammed into Steven’s Chevy Suburban, killing him. Steven’s two passengers suffered serious injuries. After the crash, the big rig driver, Kevin Jones, was not able to explain why he did not stop.

Continue reading "Jury Awards $36.5 Million to Family Of Man Killed In a Big Rig Crash" »

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The driver of a Ford F-150 that collided with a CalTrans vehicle Thursday morning on Interstate 5 died at the scene and his passenger was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance according to an article on The Signal’s website. The Signal is a Santa Clarita newspaper.

According to the newspaper, the accident occurred at about 10:15 a.m. on southbound I-5 before the Parker Street overpass in Castaic. A CalTrans signal vehicle that was following a street sweeper was struck from behind by a white Ford F-150 pickup truck. The Ford pickup sustained severe damage. The signal vehicle’s collision impact cushioning device was only grazed. The street sweeper was working on the shoulder of the far left lane of southbound I-5.

The report did not mention any injuries to any CalTrans employees.

Continue reading "Who Is at Fault for Truck Driver’s Death?" »

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A five-vehicle injury crash snarled traffic on the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana during rush hour traffic Friday morning, according to a news article in the Los Angeles Times. Officers who arrived at the scene found a pickup truck wedged under a big rig’s trailer, the newspaper reported.

Firefighters had to extricate the car’s occupants from inside the pickup and then remove the vehicle, which was pinned under the big rig. The freeway was completely closed as firefighters and Caltrans crews embarked on the cleanup. Passengers were taken to the hospital. It took firefighters about an hour and a half to extricate them and there is no word yet on their condition or the extent of their injuries.

Both Los Angeles and Orange counties saw a multitude of accidents Friday morning, most of them caused by rain-slicked roads, officials said. The Times also reported a big rig accident on the eastbound Foothill Freeway in Pasadena and three crashes on the Pasadena Freeway.

Continue reading "Rainy Weather Causes Auto Accidents, Snarls Traffic in Southern California" »

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Recent deaths on our highways have highlighted the danger of big rigs out of control on California’s freeways.

According to an article in the Orange County Register, on Oct. 30, Jorge Romero entered a not guilty plea to three counts of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of Chris and Lori Coble’s three young children-Kyle, 5, Emma, 4 and Katie, 2. I am certain that Chris and Lori Coble, of Ladera Ranch, do not consider what Romero did to their family a misdemeanor!

Romero, a big rig truck driver, whose speeding was determined to have caused the deaths of the Coble’s three young children when he slammed into the back of their minivan, apparently had been cited two other times for speeding while driving a heavy truck -- in both 2002 and 2006.

Continue reading "Reckless Big Rigs Can Ruin Lives Big Time" »

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One person was killed after a big rig went over an embankment and caught on fire on the I-5 North near Calgrove Boulevard in Santa Clarita on Saturday night, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. The fatal truck accident shut off the right lane as officers investigated the crash and cleared debris, officials told the Times. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Officials believe the truck driver died in the crash.

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October was a horrible, nightmarish month when it came to fatal big rig crashes in California. The fiery Santa Clarita multi-big rig crash topped all others as the most horrific one, killing three people and injuring more than a dozen people. Then, there was the most recent one last week when a speeding big rig driver slammed into two cars on Pacific Coast Highway. Two people died in that crash.

Here is a list of truck and big rig accidents this month from around the country although an overwhelming majority of recent truck accidents seemed to be in California:

Fiery Westchester Crash: One person was killed in this explosive crash this morning that snarled traffic for miles during the morning rush hour. It blocked several lanes on the 405 Freeway in Westchester near LAX. The driver of the truck reportedly died in the crash. No other fatalities or injuries were reported.

Continue reading "Big Rig Accident Round-Up" »

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