U. S. Route 101 Closed due to Utility Truck Accident
I’m Ed Smith, a Santa Barbara truck accident lawyer. The reason for the crash of a utility truck in Carpinteria on August 27, 2017, is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The utility truck driver was uninjured in the mishap; however, road debris scattered over the area that prompted the immediate closure of U.S. Route 101 for some time to enable cleanup crews to clear the area.
Accident Details
A spokesperson of the CHP reported that the utility truck, equipped with a bucket, left the roadway and rolled over. However, details regarding the cause of the vehicle leaving the road were not immediately available. Traffic was closed down not only in the lane on the right side of the highway but also on the railroad tracks running along the side. The train tracks belong to the Union Pacific Railroad.
Rollover
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollover accidents have a higher fatality rate than many other types of traffic collisions by a factor of thirty-three percent. In fact, almost 10,000 individuals are fatally injured annually in rollover accidents. However, wearing a seat belt gives an individual a seventy-five percent advantage of not suffering fatal injuries in a rollover accident. Tall, narrow vehicles such as trucks or SUVs have a greater chance of rollover due to their high centers of gravity.
Types of Rollover
There are two types of rollover accidents: Tripped and untripped rollovers. Tripped rollovers happen when a vehicle encounters a curb or other external object or crashes into another vehicle. Untripped rollovers are caused by internal forces such as speeding or overcorrecting in an accident.
Destabilization With a Tripped Rollover
If the vehicle is unbalanced due to uneven cornering forces, the vehicle is moved towards the outside of the curve resulting in a rollover once gravity is overcome. Rollovers occur most commonly by a factor of seventy-one percent when lateral forces on the vehicle are increased, as when the vehicle slides in a sideways direction, encountering soft dirt, a curb or other elements.
If a vehicle hits an object, it causes one side to enter into upward acceleration without a comparable acceleration on the opposite side. This causes the vehicle to rollover. Guard rails are also notorious for this type of accident.
Utility Vehicle Liability
A company that hires drivers and supplies utility vehicles may be held responsible when accidents happen. The driver of the vehicle should be trained in how to handle the vehicle, and failing to supply such training can make the company liable. In addition, the vehicle may not be maintained properly, causing problems leading to rollover such as improper inflation of tires and brake maintenance.
Even if the driver overcorrected when the vehicle entered a curve, making the driver liable, the company shares in liability by the principle of respondeat superior. Under this principle, the company or entity that uses a government vehicle is responsible for the employee’s mistakes as long as the employee is actively working.
Santa Barbara Truck Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Santa Barbara truck accident lawyer. When you or a family member has been injured in an accident caused by the negligence of an individual or entity such as a local or state employee, please phone me at (805) 372-0200. My advice is free and always friendly. You are also welcome to call me at (800) 404-5400, which is my toll-free line.
As an injury lawyer with 35 years of experience in helping those who have suffered traumatic injuries or the loss of a loved one through a wrongful death, I have helped many Californians, includes those in the Santa Barbara area, receive fair compensation.
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