Sacramento Box Truck Crash Hits CHP Motorcycle and Vehicle
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. A collision occurred between a box truck and a California Highway Patrol (CHP) motorcycle, along with another vehicle as the officer was tending to a traffic stop along Highway 99 on July 10. Fortunately, there was only a minor injury reported in this collision, and the need for medical attention at the scene was declined. It is unknown at this time whether charges will be filed against the driver of the box truck.
What Happened
The crash occurred shortly after 10:20 in the morning when a box truck struck both a motorcycle and vehicle stopped in the right-hand lane just south of the off-ramp for Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The CHP officer was not on the motorcycle at the time of the collision. The vehicle that had been stopped by the officer rolled over from the impact with the box truck, and the collision caused the closure of two lanes on the highway, along with the on ramp for 47th Avenue northbound. The driver of the box truck remained at the scene of the collision. All of the lanes were reopened to traffic by 11:44 a.m.
Distracted Drivers
Driving while looking at something other than the road often leads to serious accidents. In the year 2016, almost 3,500 lives were lost nationwide due to distracted driving along with close to 400,000 injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are three modes of distracted driving. These are:
- Visual: This involves looking away from the road.
- Manual: When a driver takes his or her hands off the wheel, this involves the manual component of distraction.
- Cognitive: If a driver starts thinking about something else, this involves the cognitive component.
Even a single component of distraction such as looking towards an accident on the road can lead to serious injuries. However, some activities combine all three components. Some examples are texting, talking on the phone or using the navigation system in a vehicle. Young drivers under the age of 20 have the highest risk of distracted driving.
Reasons for Distracted Driving
There are many reasons a driver might become distracted. The incidence varies from one type of distraction to another. The top reasons are:
- Thinking of something else while driving: This is the number one cause of distracted driving, happening at a rate of 62 percent.
- Talking, texting or taking selfies on the phone: This causes the most fatalities because all three components of distraction are involved. This involves 12 percent of distracted driving accidents.
- Accident or person outside of the vehicle: Commonly called gawking, this action causes 7 percent of the distracted driving accidents.
- Engaging with passengers in the vehicle: Other passengers distract drivers in roughly 5 percent of accidents.
- Reaching for something in the vehicle: Reaching for something such as a pen, makeup or the phone causes 2 percent of distractions.
- Food or drink: Eating or drinking while driving also causes 2 percent of distracted driving accidents.
- Adjusting controls: Adjusting controls such as those on the radio causes about 1 percent of accidents.
Sacramento Car Accident & Personal Injury Attorney
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. One of the major causes of collisions is inattention to the road ahead. If you or your loved one was injured because of this or other negligence, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help. Please give me a call for free, friendly advice at (916) 921-6400 locally. If you are calling long-distance, I have a toll-free line at (800) 404-5400.
For more than 36 years, I’ve assisted numerous Sacramento residents and those from surrounding Northern California in obtaining fair compensation for all types of car accidents and wrongful deaths.
I belong to the Million Dollar Forum as a California member. This group is reserved for those trial attorneys in the nation who have garnered a settlement/verdict in excess of one million dollars for a client.
You can find out more about some of the cases my law firm has handled and what others have said about us at:
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