Multiple Vehicle Truck Accident on Highway 99 in Turlock
I’m Ed Smith, a Turlock truck accident lawyer. An multi-vehicle accident that happened on Highway 99 near West Main Street injured several people, including a minor. The accident happened in the morning hours of August 22.
Details of the Accident
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the truck was transporting raisins when it overturned on the roadway. In a chain reaction, another vehicle lost a tire. The tire landed on the roof of yet a third vehicle, trapping a child inside the vehicle. Ambulances were called to the scene as fire department personnel worked to extricate the child from the car. Once freed, the child was transported to Valley Children’s Healthcare in the town of Madera with injuries that were not a threat to her life. In all, seven vehicles were involved in the crash.
According to reports from the scene, raisins were scattered on the road. In order to clean the roadway and investigate the crash, police closed the road, and northbound traffic was channeled away from the highway.
Cargo Spills
When truck accidents occur, spillage of cargo onto the roadway can cause a dangerous situation. In some cases, toxic chemicals or combustive substances such as gasoline can be dangerous to anyone near or on the highway, causing serious injuries. Flatbed trucks pose significant danger due to the fact that the flatbed truck is open, and cargo such as logs or large pieces of machinery can roll off the truck, striking motorists behind the flatbed or littering the road, making it possible that additional crashes will take place.
Problems Loading Cargo
Cargo needs to be loaded securely whether the truck is hauling farm produce or a FedEx truck is hauling business supplies. If the person loading a truck fails to follow specific rules on how the cargo is loaded, that person’s negligence may be considered to be responsible for the accident. If, for example, the cargo is not secured and moves about, it could cause the trailer to become unbalanced, and the driver may be unable to control the truck.
Underloading the Truck
This happens most often with liquid cargo. For example, if the truck is filled only partially with gas or another liquid, the fluid can slosh around and cause the truck to roll or jackknife. The driver may lose control of the vehicle due to the movement of the fluid.
Overloading the Truck
When the truck is loaded so as to exceed the weight recommended by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, serious consequences can result. For instance, a truck may be unable to stop or even slow down as it would if the weight limit were heeded.
Third-Party Negligence
Often, the cargo is loaded by a third party. In this case, the truck driver may still be considered responsible for checking the cargo load before leaving. However, the blame for an accident could be shared by a third party – the company in charge of loading the truck. A claim or lawsuit would name the cargo loader as a negligent party.
Injuries in Loss of Cargo Accidents
The injuries suffered when cargo is spilled on the roadway vary according to the type of cargo a truck is hauling. If the cargo is a toxic substance, anyone who comes in contact with the spill is at risk for an injury.
If the cargo consists of lumber that rolls off the truck onto the roadway, injuries can range from traumatic brain injury and broken bones to other traumatic injuries such as chest trauma, extremity trauma and spinal cord injuries.
Turlock Truck Accident Lawyer
I am Ed Smith, and I am a Turlock truck accident lawyer. Truck accidents cause serious injuries that exceed those of a car accident due to the weight and size of a truck. If your injury was caused by a negligent truck driver or trucking company, please call (209) 227-1931 for free and friendly advice. Outside the area, call (800) 404-5400.
My 35 years experience as an injury lawyer in Northern California is instrumental in receiving fair compensation for clients’ wrongful death and traumatic injury cases.
Client comments are available on Yelp, Avvo and Google. On the other hand, my Verdicts and Settlements page carries a synopsis of previous cases and the way I resolved them.
I belong to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group that represents top trial lawyers with proven verdicts/settlements of $1 million or more.
Please look at my website, autoaccident.com. It offers information about truck accidents and other personal injury questions.
Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/highway-accident-truck-road-61992/
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