Big Rig Overturns in Fairfield
Last week in Fairfield, a large tractor-trailer that had been hauling scrap metal overturned, blocking an intersection. No other vehicles were involved in the wreck and the driver of the overturned vehicle escaped the incident with no reported injuries. The incident remains under investigation by the traffic division of the Fairfield Police Department.
Accident Details
Matt Bloesch, an officer from the Fairfield Police Department who responded to the incident, reported that the driver of the big rig had been turning right off of southbound Peabody Road to enter Air Base Parkway towards Interstate 80 at the intersection near the David Grant United States Air Force Medical Center when the accident occurred. The apparent cause of the collision, indicated Bloesch, was that the driver had entered the intersection at too high of a speed, causing the load in the trailer of the truck to shift dramatically. This load shifting, in turn, caused the entire truck and trailer to overturn.
The driver of the car, whose identity has not been reported, was discovered to have been driving the tractor-trailer without a driver’s license and faces at least one citation for driving illegally. Drivers without licenses are also frequently uninsured.
Wreckage and Traffic
The accident caused debris to be strewn all over the intersection and crews of workers required at least three hours to clean the intersection up and re-open it for public use. The Fairfield Police Department issued a warning to drivers, advising them to find alternate routes in order to avoid the traffic jam that the incident caused.
Legal Obligations of Truckers
Because tractor-trailers and big rigs often weigh as much as or more than 80,000 pounds, collisions involving these large trucks can have devastating results. In fact, there are numerous unique laws and regulations that have been designed for the specific purpose of protecting motorists from the negligence of truck drivers and the companies who employ them. For instance, state and federal laws mandate that truckers rest for a specified number of hours per night in order to prevent fatigue while driving long distances in a dangerously large vehicle.
Correct Loading & Securing of Cargo
In addition to rest requirements, correct loading and securing of the cargo on a truck it is carrying, special speed limits, and specific safety measures taken when passing other vehicles are all legal requirements that truckers have to meet in order to be considered as a driver. Because accidents involving trucks can often be very high-stakes, many recently built trucks have devices that enable the trucker’s actions just prior to an incident to be reconstructed, and all truck drivers are mandated to keep a log of what happens on their shifts.
Company Liability
If a trucker is apparently the negligent party in an auto accident, it is possible that the records kept by the company that employs the negligent trucker will need to be examined for previous accidents, patterns of unsafe conduct, or equipment and materials that have not been routinely inspected for dangerous damages. If it is established that the company has not upheld state or federal regulations, the company may be also considered a negligent party in a personal injury or wrongful death case resulting from a trucking accident.
Fairfield Truck Accident Injury Attorneys
I’m Ed Smith, a Fairfield auto accident lawyer. If you, a family member, or somebody close to you has been injured in a trucking accident as the result of a negligent truck driver, please contact me at (707) 564-1900 to receive friendly, free advice. Elsewhere, I can be called at my toll-free phone number, (800) 404-5400.
I’ve been assisting families and individuals in the Fairfield area in attaining fair compensation in claims involving wrongful death and personal injury for a period of over 34 years.
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