I’m Ed Smith, a Pittsburg car accident lawyer. I want to familiarize you and your loved ones with the dangers we face while driving along Highway 4. Our injury lawyers have helped individuals and their family members who have been hurt by negligent drivers along this sometimes treacherous stretch of highway. In this article, learn important details of a the recent risk assessment performed on Highway 4.
About Highway 4
Highway 4 is a major thoroughfare that connects the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the Bay Area. As a result, thousands of people travel Highway 4 every day to get to work. The bulk of these commuters use the stretch of Highway 4 from Antioch to Concord known as the California Delta Highway.
The highway was officially declared in 1934, but became especially important to California’s infrastructure in the 1970s after the completion of the newer Antioch Bridge. Highway 4 then became a major gateway for travelers from Sacramento and Modesto to get to the Bay Area, all of them traveling through Pittsburg.
Dangers of Highway 4
A Bay Area newspaper recently dubbed the stretch of highway 4 through Pittsburg “the commute from hell.” Highway 4 earned this name due both to its notorious gridlock and plentiful hazards.
Dangers of Highway 4: Traffic
Many of these hazards are focused on westbound Highway 4 in Pittsburg during the morning commute hours. As those who commute on Highway 4 well know, traffic gridlocks just past Somersville Road at the Pittsburg-Antioch border. This gridlock continues all the way through Pittsburg and Bay Point, winding through the pass and finally dispersing near Willow Pass Road in Concord. This gridlock causes many accidents every morning, but most of them are minor rear-ender accidents.
Speed is another common problem on Highway 4. At any time of day, drivers regularly travel anywhere from 40 miles an hour to 100 miles per hour. This creates a high intensity environment where even a small mistake can cause a serious accident.
Dangers of Highway 4: Natural
The problems of speed are then compounded by poor visibility during the heavily trafficked times. As with most east-west highways, the sun rises and sets directly in the line of vision of the drivers. The sun therefore impedes many drivers’ ability to see, complicating an already hazardous situation.
Recent Accident on Highway 4 in Pittsburg
Countless car accidents on Highway 4 in 2017 illustrate these dangers, but one in particular serves as a good example of the serious accidents that can occur. On 1 April when two vehicles collided in the Antioch section of the highway after a Toyota sedan carrying seven people stopped in the lane of traffic due to an obstruction. A Toyota minivan carrying three people then struck the sedan, ejecting several people from the overloaded car.
All 10 people involved in the accident suffered traumatic injuries and three medical helicopters landed on the highway to transport victims. Several others were transported to local hospitals by ambulance. The police have since said that speed was a factor in the accident, but many of the most severe injuries were a result of victims not wearing seat belts.
Motorcycle Accidents on Highway 4
Mentioned above, highway 4 from Antioch through Pittsburg is often gridlocked in the mornings. Many motorcycles therefore split the lanes to get through the heavy traffic. Many of these motorcycles are then forced to swerve to avoid careless drivers attempting to move through traffic as well. In many cases, this results in motorcycle accidents in the midst of the morning commute.
Pittsburg Personal Injury Lawyers
Hi, I’m Ed Smith, a Pittsburg car accident lawyer. When you, or someone you love is injured in a crash in East Contra Costa due to the negligence of someone else, please call me as soon as you are able at (925) 428-5220. I give free, friendly advice when you call and ask for Ed. You may also call me free of charge at (800) 404-5400.
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Image Attribution: Public Domain Images via Wikimedia Commons
Sources:
http://www.aaroads.com/california/ca-004.html
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Antioch-crash-on-Highway-4-leaves-14-people-11044182.php
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