Pregnant Woman Dies in Speeding Accident on Hwy 4
I’m Ed Smith, an Antioch car accident lawyer. An October 31 accident along Highway 4 westbound claimed the life of an expectant mother in a collision with another vehicle near Antioch.
My sincerest condolences go out to the loved ones hurting after this tragedy.
What Happened
According to a representative of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the pregnant woman, driving a Chevy Tahoe, ran into the median and subsequently into a guardrail in the center of the highway shortly after 5:30 in the afternoon. The vehicle she was driving then overturned two times after it crashed into a Honda Pilot. A spokesperson for the CHP reported that she appeared to have been exceeding the speed limit at the time of the crash. The collision resulted in the pregnant woman being ejected from the vehicle while another passenger in the vehicle was partially ejected.
Fatal Crash
Bianca Mejia-Chavez, a 20-year-old resident of Bay Point, was declared dead at a medical center located in Walnut Creek several hours after the accident. A passenger in the Tahoe, a man age 29, was also transported by ambulance to a hospital with injuries not serious enough to endanger his life. The occupant of the Honda that was struck by the Tahoe, a Hercules woman, age 37, was uninjured in the collision.
Information Sought in the Collision
Whether alcohol or drugs were involved in this accident is still unclear, and police investigators are seeking any witnesses to the crash. Anyone who saw the accident and might help to shed light on the incident is requested to contact the CHP for Contra Costa County.
Dangers of Speeding
Speeding makes driving risky from the longer time it takes to come to a stop to the increased incidence of accidents. According to the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, out of 916 fatalities related to speeding in 2012, 92 were in urban areas and 32 were on rural roadways in California. The vast majority occurred on major roads such as interstates (112) and others such as state roads (256). Minor and local roads accounted for the rest.
Speeding in Bad Weather and in Construction Zones
Speeding caused more accidents on wet roads compared to dry ones by 23 to 22 percent due to extended stopping distances and lack of control of the vehicle. The percentage of construction or work zone accidents related to speeding was 35 percent.
Speeding Accidents in Tulare County
In Tulare County, 344 accidents were due to speeding out of 1,572 collisions. In Antioch alone, according to the Office of Traffic Safety in California, of the 484 total number of individuals killed or injured, 92 were involved in a speeding-related accident.
Alcohol and Speeding
Speeding related accidents often involve drinking and driving. In the year 2012, about 42 percent of all fatal accidents where the driver was speeding involved alcohol. Alternately, drivers who were not speeding had high alcohol levels in only 16 percent of fatal crashes. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, of the 16,484 people who died in 2015, 34% were males with a blood alcohol content above 0.08% while 21% were females.
Injuries in Speeding Accidents
Hitting another vehicle or a stationary object when speeding correlates to a higher incidence of catastrophic injuries such as brain trauma. Injuries such as fractures, including femur fracture, are more common when seat belts are not used. In fact, the highest number of deaths are found in unrestrained drivers.
Antioch Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, an Antioch car accident lawyer. Car and truck accidents can cause traumatic injuries and wrongful death. When this happens, chances are you need to speak to an experienced injury lawyer. Phone me anytime at (925) 428-5220 in and around Antioch or call me on my toll free line at (800) 404-5400 for friendly and free advice. You can also use my online contact form if you wish to do so.
Since 1982, I’ve served the people of Antioch and Northern California. You can learn more about my law practice by checking out Avvo, Yelp and Google.
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