Sacramento Truck Accident Spills Cargo

I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento truck accident lawyer. Several Sacramento drivers narrowly escaped injury when a commercial truck accident dumped concrete panels onto the freeway near the Sacramento International Airport.

What happened?

On 28 June, a commercial truck driver was traveling southbound on Interstate 5 near the Sacramento International Airport. As the driver made the transition from the Airport Boulevard on-ramp and onto the highway, his load shifted.

This new weight distribution snapped the straps holding the load to the trailer, dumping several concrete panels onto the roadway. This movement also tipped the truck onto its side.

Injuries in the Accident

The driver was shaken in the accident, but did not report any major injuries. Remarkably, no other drivers were injured from the falling concrete panels. In many similar accidents, other drivers have not been so fortunate and have been seriously injured by falling commercial truck cargo.

Improperly Secured Cargo and Accidents

Improperly secured cargo is one of the main causes of accidents involving commercial 18-wheeler trucks. Loads carried by these trucks can sometimes weigh 40,000 pounds. That is 20 tons of weight. A shift in this weight can easily tip a truck.

This makes it essential that a truck driver secure his cargo and regularly inspect his cargo to ensure it remains secure. This includes tying the load down, arranging the load so it is unlikely to shift, and inspecting the tie-downs used on the cargo to ensure they will not break.

Injuries in Accidents from Unsecured Cargo

While there were no injuries in this accident, that is not always the case. In fact, in 2015, a bicyclist was killed after a container fell from the back of a semi truck in Long Beach.

Who is responsible for an insecure load?

The truck driver is the one ultimately responsible for an insecure load as it is his responsibility to inspect his cargo and make sure his vehicle is safe for road conditions. However, many other people are involved in the process of loading a commercial truck. These people may share the responsibility and therefore liability from any accident involving a shifting or falling load.

The owners of the cargo itself may sometimes be responsible for accidents involving unsecured loads. In some cases, drivers are not allowed to open or inspect their cargo without the owner’s approval. In these cases, the owners are therefore responsible for any accidents involving shifting cargo.

Additionally, the people or companies that actually load the cargo may share responsibility for any accident. The truck driver is usually only responsible for transporting the goods; other people actually load the truck. In the event of an accident, these people may also be liable.

Determining Who Is Responsible

Discovering which of the above parties is responsible in a particular accident can be a complicated process because negligence must be proven for a lawsuit. This typically requires an extensive investigation that law enforcement authorities may not have the resources to conduct.

An experienced Sacramento trucking accident attorney can help in these situations by hiring experts who can determine what happened. These experts can examine logs and safety records of a company in order to determine who is responsible for trucking accidents caused by falling cargo.

Sacramento Truck Accident Attorney

I’m Ed Smith and I am a Sacramento truck accident lawyer. Cargo often falls from commercial trucks. If you or a loved one have been in an accident caused by truck driver negligence, please call me at (916) 921-6400 or toll free at (800) 404-5400 for some free, friendly advice.

I have dedicated my career of 34 years to personal injury and have served as a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum for many of these years.

You can see our injury lawyers’ reviews on Yelp, Avvo, and Google.

I also welcome you to look at some of my result from over the years on my Past Verdicts and Settlements page.

Image Attribution: By PRA via Wikimedia Commons

Source:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article158599744.html

Bicyclist killed source: http://6abc.com/news/bicyclist-killed-after-cargo-container-slides-off-flatbed-truck-falls-on-him/1055426/

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Sacramento Truck Accident Spills Cargo