High-Speed Solo Vehicle Fatality
A motorist was killed on the evening of Tuesday, May 11, 2021, when her vehicle slammed into a concrete road barrier. The deceased was the only occupant of the vehicle. The Chico Police Department (CPD) continues to investigate the cause of the crash.
Witnesses called CPD after seeing a vehicle crash into a concrete K-rail barrier on West Easton Road and Rogue River Drive. They reported that immediately prior to the crash, the vehicle had been traveling at a high rate of speed – estimated between 80 to 100 miles per hour. The police responded to the scene at approximately 8:00 p.m and found that the vehicle occupant was deceased. Next of kin were subsequently notified, and authorities have now released the identity of the driver. She was a 46-year-old resident of Chico.
The Chico Police Major Accident Investigation Team was enlisted to lead the crash investigation, and the roadway was closed for around six hours while evidence was collected. According to statements from the police, there was considerable debris at the scene, and the vehicle had sustained extensive damage. All such findings were consistent with the witnesses’ reports of a high-speed impact. No determination has yet been made if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the incident.
What is a K-Rail Barrier?
K-rail barriers are frequently called Jersey barriers in other regions of the country. While this type of traffic barrier originated in California, the design was improved upon by the state of New Jersey. The K-rails are usually constructed as concrete barriers that are reinforced with steel and are used to divide highway lanes. Their original purpose was to prevent head-on crashes. They were later adapted to address other traffic control needs, such as defining pedestrian areas, protecting perimeters, and blocking access to protected zones.
Temporary, plastic K-rail barriers are sometimes used to block access to construction zones or to redirect traffic. The plastic iterations are hollow barriers that are filled with sand or water. While they provide some level of crash protection, they are not designed to deflect vehicles as much as act as a partition.
The Origin of the K-Rail Barrier
Highway guardrails were once made of wood, which most of the time would do nothing to stop an out-of-control vehicle from careening into oncoming traffic lanes. There was a stretch of highway in California that was prone to fatal car crashes due to its steep incline – it came to be known as “Dead Man’s Curve.” The wooden guardrails that had been constructed in that dangerous area were eventually replaced by barriers constructed of concrete. The more solid barriers were successful in bringing down the number of fatal head-ons along Dead Man’s Curve. Following that success, the concrete barriers were adopted at a rapid pace throughout the rest of the country.
Watch the YouTube video. Below is a clip further explaining the function of these common highway barriers.
Chico Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello and thanks for reading. I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury attorney in Chico, California. For close to four decades, my law firm has been advocating on behalf of Northern Californians who, through no fault of their own, have been injured in accidents caused by negligence. Following such an accident, it is important to have an experienced and skilled injury lawyer on your team to ensure that your rights are protected and that your case is thoroughly presented. This will ensure that your monetary recovery is fair and equitable. It also will allow you to place your mental energies toward your physical recovery. For our free and friendly legal advice, please call us at (530) 392-9400. If you will be calling from a different area code, use our toll-free line: (800) 404-5400.
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