Highway 12 Closed at Pennsylvania Avenue
On Tuesday, November 16, 2021, an automobile accident shut down a major intersection near Suisun City, California, for three hours. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) ordered Highway 12 closed in the area of Pennsylvania Avenue from around 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Details of the Highway 12 Crash
In the midafternoon hours of November 16th, motorists were diverted from Highway 12 in the vicinity of Pennsylvania Avenue because of a major car crash. According to reports, a pickup truck had crashed into a trailer at the intersection of the two streets. Photographs taken at the scene show major damage to the front of the pickup truck.
Traffic Disruption After Highway 12 Closed
The incident was first announced on the 511 Twitter account at about 3:30 p.m. – the first Tweet said that all lanes of Highway 12 near the edge of Suisun City and Fairfield had been closed. An update about 15 minutes later corrected that information – all westbound lanes were closed, as well as the left eastbound lane. Additionally, there was plenty of police activity on Highway 12 in both directions, so there was a significant disruption in traffic throughout the entire area. The closures remained in effect for around three hours, according to area police.
Traffic was rerouted to surface roads, including Texas Street, until the early evening. The CHP announced that all lanes were reopened at 6:30 p.m. but that residual delays continued.
Community Reaction to the Crash
A commenter from the area posted on a news story reporting the crash that the driver of the pickup truck had been killed in the accident. This information is unconfirmed.
Another commenter mentioned that it seemed like the stretch of Highway 12 between Chadbourne Road and Pennsylvania Avenue had a disproportionate number of fatal accidents every year. Still another person pointed out that there is a smooth transition to Highway 12 from Interstate 80, and motorists are unaware or forget that there are upcoming stoplights, so they sometimes approach at freeway speeds. This, combined with any distractions, can lead to a major rear-end accident.
Crashes at Intersections
It is always interesting to read comments from local residents regarding which roads they believe to be unsafe and why. Statistically, there are more rear-end accidents at signalized intersections. While traffic signals may reduce other types of accidents, the installation of a traffic light tends to increase the number of rear-end crashes. This is because most rear collisions are the result of inattention by the driver combined with an unexpected stop in traffic. High traffic areas cause a further increase in these types of accidents.
There has not been a lot of information released regarding this pickup truck accident on Highway 12, but if one considers resident input, a potential cause could have been higher speeds combined with an unexpected stoplight.
Watch the YouTube video. Below is a news clip from ABC10 showing a sideshow at the exact intersection at which this recent crash took place.
Suisun City Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello, and thank you for reading our report on this accident on Highway 12. My name is Ed Smith, and I am a Suisun City personal injury lawyer with more than 38 years of experience in advocating for injured Northern Californians. Having a skilled injury attorney on your side after a serious car crash can not only protect your legal rights but can ensure that the financial value of your claim is maximized. If you or a loved one has been injured in a collision that was caused by the negligence of another motorist, please reach out to my firm at (800) 404-5400 or (707) 564-1900. Our experienced lawyers are happy to offer free and friendly advice.
The links below will take you to sites with more information about our injury attorneys and the work that we do.
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Photo by: Nico Smit via Unsplash
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