Posted on March 03,2015 in Car Accidents

Individuals who have been involved in a car accident are obligated to stop and call the proper authorities. If anyone involved in the accident has been injured, someone must make an effort to provide reasonable assistance. This may include calling 911, taking that person to the hospital or rendering first aid. To ensure that safety of those involved in the accident and other motorists, it may be worthwhile to place warning cones or flares at the scene.

Although state law says that those involved should render aid to injured car accident victims, they should only do so under certain circumstances. For example, it may only be safe to pull someone from a car before it becomes engulfed in flames. However, if the car is already on fire, it may be more prudent to simply call 911 and wait for help. Outside help may consist of first responders or it may involve other passing motorists.

Regardless of whether there are injuries in the accident, it may be required that each driver exchange his or her information. Each driver should be able to see the other driver's registration and driver's license. It may be prudent to take down that information as well as the name, age and address of passengers in each car as well as any witnesses to the crash.

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 Posted on February 25,2015 in Car Accidents

A multiple-vehicle collision that killed a woman started with a mattress that had fallen on the 55 Freeway in Santa Ana. According to the California Highway Patrol, the accident happened on Feb. 13 just before 12:00 a.m. in the northbound lanes.

A 53-year-old Costa Mesa woman was reportedly driving her 1982 Toyota Celica in the fast lane of the roadway when she struck the mattress. The force of the collision sent her car into the center divider. Following that initial collision, her vehicle landed sideways on the freeway. She was then struck by a 19-year-old Irvine man who was driving a van.

The second collision sent the Celica spinning across the lanes of traffic and into the path of an oncoming 1999 Toyota sedan, which subsequently struck the Celica from behind. The vehicle then reportedly spun around and came to a stop facing the wrong way, when it was hit by a 1995 Honda head on. The woman was pronounced dead at the accident scene. The 19-year-old was arrested after he reportedly drove his van approximately 500 feet north and then ran away on foot. Police took him into custody for suspicions of drunk driving. In addition to the woman who was killed, two others were injured and required transport to Western Medical Center for treatment. The accident resulted in the closure of the northbound lanes for multiple hours while police conducted their investigation and cleanup.

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 Posted on February 23,2015 in Car Accidents

A Feb. 17 accident left one dead and one seriously injured in Chollas View. The 2 a.m. incident occurred as a 32-year-old man lost control after he attempted to travel from I-805 onto Route 94. The dark Nissan truck flipped after slamming into the guardrail on the outer edge of the ramp.

After the truck overturned, a Toyota Matrix driven by a 37-year-old individual collided with it. This individual reportedly experienced major injuries as a result of the collision. The truck's driver, meanwhile, expired at the scene of the serious car accident. Authorities indicate that there is no suspicion of drugs or alcohol causing this car wreck. The accident resulted in a shutdown of the on-ramp for several hours.

Authorities typically conduct an investigation after a major accident to identify potential causes. In some cases, impaired driving or excessive speed can contribute to a crash. In other cases, exhaustion or health problems may contribute to a driver's error or inability to maneuver safely. It is even possible that an obstacle in a road or a manufacturer's defect in a vehicle can have deadly results as an accident occurs.

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 Posted on February 19,2015 in Car Accidents

The woman driver of a blue Honda SUV who died in an accident with a pickup truck on Feb. 6 was not immediately identified at the time of the accident. The California Highway Patrol reported that the fatal crash took place on Highway 101 near Gilroy.

It was south of Masten Avenue where a white pickup truck left the road and went on to the shoulder. The driver swerved in an attempt to get back on the road and T-boned a Honda SUV in the left lane. Both vehicles flipped over and finally stopped on the center highway divider, according to the CHP report.

Although the woman died, the driver of the truck survived. He went to an area hospital for the treatment of minor injuries. He did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but the CHP continues to look into the cause of the accident.

Rollover crashes are often associated with highway speeds and driver errors. In a fatal crash, the victim's family may be confronted by unexpected costs, like medical bills and funeral expenses. If a family's breadwinner dies, then lost income becomes an immediate issue as well.

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 Posted on February 12,2015 in Car Accidents

A fiery crash in Fremont resulted after a 22-year-old woman drove north on Interstate Highway 880 in the southbound lanes. The California Highway Patrol received a report of the driver going the wrong way shortly before the call about an accident came in.

The woman's 1999 Volvo hit a Chevrolet Silverado truck on the interstate near Thornton Avenue. Her car was burning when authorities arrived on scene. The acting deputy chief for the Fremont Fire Department reported that firefighters were unable to rescue the woman who was trapped in her vehicle. She later died. The accident report stated that she was from Santa Clara, but her identity was withheld so her family could be notified.

Rescue workers did manage to remove the three passengers of the pickup truck that was also threatened by the burning car. The passengers had major injuries. The CHP continues to investigate the accident. Where or how the woman entered the highway on the wrong side has not yet been determined. Investigators have not eliminated the possibility of drugs or alcohol contributing to the driving error.

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 Posted on February 10,2015 in Car Accidents

Drivers on the California roads are taking risks if they drive with worn tires. However, statistics indicate that many vehicles on the road are driving with at least one dangerously worn tire in use.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report that indicates that one in 10 cars has a tire that is completely bald. That means that the tire tread has worn away so much that the surface is essentially flat. This seriously impairs the driver's ability to handle the vehicle, especially on wet or icy surfaces.

American tire tread is most often measured in 1/32nd inch increments. A new tire will most often have grooves inscribed in the surface of the tire to the depth of 10/32nds of an inch, and they will be considered worn by the time the tread reaches only 2/32nds. At this point the grooves in the tire will no longer be able to properly serve their purpose of increasing the tire's grip in wet conditions, and the car will become more likely to hydroplane or otherwise go out of control. This condition is estimated by the NHTSA to affect as many as half of all the cars on the road. This means that driving in rainy or snowy conditions is more hazardous than it might otherwise be. Even if many people properly maintain their vehicle, the chances are good that they will encounter another one that was not as prepared.

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 Posted on February 04,2015 in Truck Accidents

An pre-dawn truck accident on Highway 41 near Fresno began when a fuel tanker truck hit the back of a truck hauling live poultry. The poultry truck was pulled over on the northbound side of the highway, according to the California Highway Patrol, but the reason for the stoppage was not immediately apparent.

The 39-year-old male driver of the poultry truck was outside the vehicle when the tanker truck hit. The accident resulted in the man being hit by the tanker truck and then dragged while pinned under a tire. The wreck then snowballed when a pickup truck and a second poultry truck also carrying livestock collided with the vehicles.

Community Regional Medical Center confirmed the death of the man who had been dragged under a tire. The crash also inflicted major injuries on the fuel tanker driver, a man from Visalia, California. Minor injuries were suffered by the Riverdale man driving the pickup truck while the driver of the second poultry truck remained unharmed. The highway patrol suspects fog might have played a role in the accident.

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 Posted on January 30,2015 in Wrongful Death

As reported by the California Highway Patrol, an accident involving a pickup and a tow truck left one man dead and another critically injured. The incident took place on Jan. 17 on Route 78 in San Marcos after a 43-year-old man called the tow truck company for assistance changing a flat tire on his Nissan. The man was parked on a freeway by Nordahl Road when the two tow trucks were dispatched.

When the tow truck drivers arrived just after 7 a.m., a male pickup truck driver lost control and slammed into one of the tow trucks, its driver and then the immobile car. He also struck the second tow truck driver who was on scene, followed by the truck. At the time of reporting, it was unclear why the 52-year-old driver of the 2003 Ford F-250 crossed into their path; he was uninjured in the accident.

The older tow truck driver was killed quickly due to the impact, and the other tow truck driver was transported to a local hospital and treated for multiple fractures, a broken leg and critical internal injuries. The driver of the Nissan had been inside his vehicle when the truck slammed into it. He was treated for cuts and abrasions.

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 Posted on January 26,2015 in Truck Accidents

Per a report from the U.S. Transportation Department, the number of people killed in large-truck crashes increased for the fourth year in a row, with nearly 4,000 fatalities in 2013. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that deaths have increased by 17 percent since 2009, so it is no surprise that the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is urging regulators to adopt a variety of new safety regulations.

In an interview, the NTSB's director stated that there are a number of technological improvements that are already available to help reduce crashes. Examples of this include new systems that use sensors to warn truckers when they are about to collide with another vehicle or are changing lanes.

Another issue that the NTSB points out is that driver fatigue is still a significant concern. While the board can make recommendations, it is not a legislative body, so trucking companies can ignore suggestions to improve managing fatigue on the roads. Additionally, Congress weakened regulations aimed at reducing driver fatigue due to a concern that the new rules might lead to a greater number of large trucks on the road during rush hours.

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 Posted on January 19,2015 in Car Accidents

A vehicle drove into a Macy's department store in Newark on Jan. 14, and four people were injured in the accident. The store was evacuated after the crash occurred. At the time of the report, authorities were still investigating the incident.

A representative of the Alameda County Fire Department reported that the accident took place around 4:50 p.m. at the NewPark Mall. A vehicle being driven by a 63-year-old woman allegedly waited outside of the store while a 12-year-old boy exited the vehicle to use a mall restroom. While the reason for the accident was unknown at the time of the report, the vehicle then jolted forward and went about 50 feet inside the Macy's.

The driver and two men shopping inside the store all suffered injuries, though the extent of their injuries was unknown, and a man who was in front of the store on a sidewalk went to a hospital with critical injuries. Another woman and a 10-year-old girl were passengers in the vehicle, but they were unharmed in the collision. At least two witnesses reported panic attacks after the crash.

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