On behalf of Law Offices of Mauro Fiore, Jr. posted in Truck Accidents on Sunday, December 3, 2017.
No matter how large a truck is, the fact remains that trucks – ranging in size from light-duty pickup trucks to 18-wheelers towing multiple trailers – are larger than passenger vehicles and can cause a great deal of damage in traffic accidents. The size and speed of trucks, as well as their difficulty in slowing down or maneuvering to avoid an accident, can make truck collisions some of the deadliest types of accidents in California and elsewhere. Additionally, trucks carrying heavy loads may have difficulty preventing chain reaction crashes that can injure or kill multiple people. This fact was unfortunately brought to light in a crash last November in Santa Clarita. It appeared to be a pickup truck pulling a trailer that rear-ended a car, which was then thrown forward into a city bus. The woman in the car was killed and at least one other person was injured. It may be that the extra weight of the trailer caused sufficient force that the woman in the car had little chance of survival. At the time of reporting, authorities were still investigating the cause of the accident and were unsure if the truck driver would be charged for any wrongdoing. Fatal truck accidents that catch the public’s attention usually involve large commercial rigs. However, drivers should not ignore the dangers of smaller trucks. In 2016, 265 people in California lost their lives in accidents involving light trucks. Understanding the risks and being aware of one’s surroundings in traffic may reduce one’s chances of being in a deadly accident.
Source: NBC Southern California, "Woman Dies in Chain-Reaction Crash With Truck in Santa Clarita," Nov. 4, 2017