California Injury Blog
Three people were hurt in a six-vehicle chain-reaction crash December 29, 2008 on the 57 Freeway south of Chapman Avenue in Placentia, which began when one of the drivers swerved to avoid a bedliner in the lanes. California Highway Patrol officials say that this was a bedliner that must have come flying out of a pickup truck because it wasn’t properly secured. Pickup truck bedliners often aren’t secured properly and come flying out on to freeways creating traffic hazards, CHP officials say. Our source for this blog was this news report in The Orange County Register. Two of the accident victims suffered moderate injuries and one person suffered minor injuries.
This is an accident that could have been a lot worse. I’m relieved that no one was seriously injured or killed in this Orange County freeway accident. I wish all the victims the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Freeway debris is a common hazard on California’s freeways. The California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) estimates that 140,000 cubic yards of debris is dumped on California’s roadways each year. Highway debris has caused 155 traffic accident deaths on California’s streets and freeways just in the last two years.
In California, a motorist can be cited for dropping anything other than live bird feathers or water from their vehicles onto a roadway. In additions to fines and penalties, motorists who drop debris on the roadway can also be held civilly and criminally responsible for the consequences of that debris on our roadways. Our law firm has successfully handled many injury and fatality accident cases caused by such highway debris.
A person injured in an auto accident caused by highway debris has the right to be compensated for his or her injuries not only from the person who drops the debris on the roadway, but also from the uninsured or underinsured motorist provision of their own auto insurance policy. If in this case, the person responsible for dropping the bedliner on the freeway is never identified or found, the uninsured motorist provision of an auto insurance policy can compensate the victim for injuries and damages.
A knowledgeable Orange County personal injury attorney will also tell you how your motor vehicle insurance policy will apply to a roadway debris accident. I would urge the injured victims in this Placentia auto accident to consult with an experienced Orange County auto accident attorney, who will help the injured victims secure compensation either from the negligent party or their insurance company.