Increased truck traffic on California roads has become a major part of drivers’ experiences. Congestion and minor accidents often lead only to delays, but areas with continuing problems can often have more serious consequences.
Over a two-week period, a stretch of divided highway in the Napa Valley was recently the scene of multiple semi-truck accidents. The situation led the local Sheriff’s department to recommend motorists favor a different route through the area.
Highway areas with chronic motor vehicle accidents, especially involving semis, require extra caution for drivers of cars and trucks alike. Fast driving along tight curves, blind curves and in areas of low visibility are often factors involved in causing motor vehicle accidents.
Truck accidents are sometimes complicated by tired drivers and special characteristics of large vehicles that make it more difficult for the truck drive to maneuver. One recent accident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol. The reporting officer has reported that the driver may have contributed to the cause of the accident due to lack of sleep.
Another recent semi accident involved a driver who drifted near the median and lost control of the rig when he overcompensated to remain on the road. The accident caused a wide spread area of power failures to thousands of customers across Northern California. Fortunately, no one in other vehicles involved was affected and both drivers escaped with minor injuries. It is a well-established fact that semis and other heavy trucks are more likely than other vehicles to cause serious and multi-vehicle accidents, often resulting in serious injuries and sometimes death.
Victims of motor vehicles and their families have rights that allow them to investigate fully to determine if a semi-truck driver’s negligence contributed to or was the sole cause of the accident that caused injuries or fatalities. Source: Napa Valley Register, “Truck crash closes Highway 29 second week in a row,” July 19, 2017
