Two Crashes Involving Seven Vehicles
Early in the morning hours of Sunday, June 20, 2021, two crashes occurred on westbound Interstate 80 in the Dixon, California, area. The incidents involved seven vehicles and resulted in at least one fatality. The Dixon crashes were reported to police dispatch just before 12:40 a.m. The location of the incidents was the off-ramp at Dixon Avenue / West A Street.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), one of the collisions was between two vehicles, and the other involved a total of five vehicles. The crash that included five vehicles resulted in at least one death.
Black Sedan Allegedly Speeding
Witnesses report that a black sedan had been traveling at around 100 miles per hour just before the incident. One of the other involved vehicles was reported to have been a semi-truck.
Officials closed westbound 80 in the vicinity of the collisions and put out a traffic alert throughout the region. Highway traffic was re-routed through Dixon Avenue / West A Street. At around 2:20 a.m., the CHP reopened a single lane of westbound Interstate 80, and the remaining lanes were opened just prior to 6:00 a.m.
The CHP’s investigation into the cause of the collisions is continuing, and anyone with further information should contact the agency’s Dixon office.
High-Speed Collisions and Fatalities
With witness reports indicating that at least one of the drivers in Sunday morning’s Dixon crashes was traveling at around 100 mph, it is very likely that excessive speed played a role in at least one of the two incidents. The odds that a vehicle occupant will survive a crash take a dramatic drop at around 65-70 miles per hour. Of course, some do survive accidents at this speed, because many factors play a role in how much impact is absorbed by the body. Some variables include the angle of the crash and whether the vehicle occupant was properly restrained. Airbag deployment may also play a role. If the crash is head-on, the speeds at which the odds of survival drop drastically is much lower, around 43 miles per hour, according to safety engineers.
WHO Engineers Study Speeds
The World Health Organization (WHO) analyzes traffic accident details from around the globe to make its safety recommendations. Their data indicates that a vehicle traveling approximately 30 miles per hour requires more than 40 feet to safely stop. The same vehicle traveling approximately 25 miles per hour, on the other hand, will require only around 27 feet to stop. This illustrates how substantial the difference of only five miles per hour is, which is something to keep in mind when you see drivers speeding around you on the highway.
Ultimately, you cannot control how others drive. The speed at which you travel, coupled with the distance you maintain between your vehicle and others can help ensure that if something unexpected happens, you are able to safely stop.
There is no magical number at which a crash is survivable versus not. Anytime you get behind the wheel, slow down to save lives.
Watch the YouTube video. The clip below shows crash tests at different speeds.
Dixon Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello, and thank you for reading. My name is Ed Smith, and I’m a Dixon personal injury lawyer. We never like to report on serious car accidents that result in injuries and wrongful death. Our Northern California highways see more than their fair share of such accidents. If you or your family has been affected by another driver’s negligence, the injury lawyers at my firm can help. Call us for free and friendly legal advice at (707) 564-1900, or from outside the local area code, at (800) 404-5400, toll-free.
My firm has been advocating for injured Dixon residents for more than 38 years. Please click the links below to read our client reviews:
Photo: Pixabay
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