Recently in Truck Accidents Category

June 24, 2010

Visalia Trucker Sustains Major Injuries In Accident

According to the Visalia Times-Delta, a Visalia big rig driver was seriously injured when he rear-ended a pick-up truck near Terra Bella. Both cars overturned.

Fortunately the pick-up truck driver sustained only minor injuries.

Truck accidents often result in serious, even deadly injuries. Because of the sheer force behind a truck, minor shifts in direction or speed may result in a loss of control of an 18-wheeler. It is often difficult for a big rig to maneuver in response to other drivers' abrupt changes in direction or unexpected conditions on the road.

In Tuesday's accident, the driver of the pick-up truck had slowed to make a left-hand turn when the big rig ran into her.

In order to keep our roads safe, a few tips for truckers/car drivers include:

• Maintain safe driving distances between cars and trucks
• Pass trucks with car. Remember that trucks have large blind spots so make sure you can see the truck in your rear view mirror before pulling back into the lane.
• Do not text and drive. Too often distracted driving is the cause of California car accidents.

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April 30, 2010

Bay Bridge S-Curve Involved In 47 Car And Truck Accidents Since Installed

According to KTVU, 47 car and truck accidents have occurred on San Francisco's Bay Bridge since the curve was installed, including the fatal truck accident last November. In that crash, Tahir Fakhar was driving on the S-Curve when the truck went on two wheels and then over the side. The East Bay News reports that Fakhar's family filed a wrongful death suit against the State of California and Caltrans earlier this week.

The Bay Bridge links Oakland to San Francisco, with close to 300,000 vehicle crossings each day.

Fakhar's case raises several questions sure to be discussed in the coming months concerning the design and safety of the Bay Bridge's S Curve. Since November, the California Highway Patrol and CalTrans have been working together to slow down drivers and have also shut down lanes of traffic. Hopefully these measures will lead to greater safety when crossing the bridge.

Other issues raised by this matter include whether driver error - such as speeding as the result of a tight delivery schedule or exhaustion due to long driving hours with little rest - were contributing factors. Further, in some instances trucking companies push drivers beyond what is safe in order to meet deadlines. Whether trucking company demands were a factor will also likely be explored.

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