Woman Calls Police to Report Being Struck by a Hit-and-Run Semi
A driver in Sacramento experienced a close call on August 24 after a hit-and-run accident involving a big rig. The collision occurred around 9:44 a.m. along Northgate Boulevard near Interstate 80. The accident was called into the California Highway Patrol (CHP) by the woman whose vehicle was reportedly struck, who said the semi hit the side of her vehicle and continued on without stopping.
Police Obtain Description of Fleeing Big Rig
Police obtained a description of the semi that was involved in the collision, including the name of the company, and reported the accident as a hit-and-run with injuries. Although medics with the Sacramento Fire Department arrived at the scene to assess the driver’s injuries, no additional information was released. The accident is currently being investigated by the CHP to determine what happened.
Big Rig Accidents
When a passenger vehicle, pedestrian, or others are involved in a collision with a big rig, it usually causes serious injuries or results in fatalities. With the long-time shortage of drivers, companies may be tempted to hire someone who isn’t as well-qualified as they should be. Because tractor-trailers are so large, they require special training to handle and can do a lot of damage when involved in a collision. Some of the reasons a big rig might cause an accident include:
- Making a right-hand turn: Because of their size, a big rig often partially swings into an adjacent lane when making a right-hand turn, which can impact other vehicles.
- Blind spots: All big rigs have blind spots all the way around. This means the truck driver has to know whether there are vehicles traveling in those blind spots to avoid an accident. Otherwise, it could result in an override collision, and if the trucker stops the rig suddenly, an underride accident can occur.
- Rollovers: A rollover involving a tractor-trailer can happen if it is overloaded or the cargo isn’t carefully placed. When the driver goes down a hill or around a curve too fast, it can cause the load to imbalance, resulting in a rollover.
- Jackknifes: A jackknife accident happens when a tractor is moving slower than the trailer it is pulling.
Locating a Hit-and-Run Driver
Over the years, we’ve successfully located a number of drivers following a hit-and-run accident. We do this by investigating the crash, including checking traffic cameras to see if the collision was captured on tape, interviewing witnesses and performing accident reconstruction. When the driver is located, their insurance company can be held responsible for the client’s accident injuries.
In some cases, the collision was caused by negligence on the part of the company that employed the driver. They can be held responsible too. If the driver cannot be found, the injured party may be able to use their own uninsured/underinsured insurance policy to cover their financial loss.
Insurance Can Pay for Accident Injuries
When a California driver purchases auto insurance, they are also offered optional coverage for uninsured/underinsured motorists. Many Californians carry this add-on policy because of the high number of drivers in the state who are either uninsured or don’t carry enough coverage. If the injured party does not have this policy but another member of the household does, that can be used instead. It won’t raise the rates.
Sacramento Trucking Accident Lawyer
My name is Ed Smith, and I am a Sacramento trucking accident lawyer. Collisions with big rigs can cause serious injuries, and when the company or driver is responsible, you can place a claim to recover the cost of your medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages. Call us at (916) 921-6400 or at (800) 404-5400 for our fee and friendly advice. We can be reached online also by sending us your contact information and a brief description of your accident and injuries.
Learn about how my legal team and I have helped others at the links that follow:
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We are honored to have assisted many Sacramentans and Northern Californians in getting compensation for injuries caused by truck accidents, all varieties of traffic collisions and for wrongful deaths, and others.
Photo attribution: https://pixabay.com/photos/truck-lorry-white-truck-cargo-truck-4588791/
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