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Four Dead in Soledad Car Accident

A car accident in Soledad has left four people dead and at least one injured. The accident involved a Honda Accord and a Chevrolet Silverado. 

According to the California Highway Patrol, the Honda Accord driver was making a left turn from the Highway 101 off ramp, and trying to cross the southbound lane when the pickup crashed into the car. The four occupants of the Honda Accord were declared dead at the scene of the crash. Two of the rear passengers in the car were not wearing seatbelts, and were ejected from the vehicle. The pickup truck continued traveling south and then rolled over to land on its wheels. The pickup truck driver Chualar Resident, Juan Francisco D’ Anda, suffered minor injuries. According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Coroners Division, they are waiting to identify the occupants of the Accord before releasing their names. The CHP says that the car occupants were between 18 and 35 years old, and on their way to work at the time of the accident.  
   
The crash occurred six miles south of the site where a tour bus crashed into a wall last month, killing five people and leaving dozens of bus passengers with injuries. Investigations into that accident are continuing, but preliminary investigations seem to point to driver error. California Highway Patrol says that the highway is not a dangerous road, and that there are not an “unusual” number of accidents there.” According to the CHP, alcohol doesn’t seem to be a factor in the crash. Earlier in 2006, another accident on Highway 111 at Major Farms where Tuesday’s accident took place, left a 42-year-old man with injuries.  

We will have to wait for the safety investigation to be completed before we can come to any conclusions about the accident.  

It’s worth looking into whether highway 101 has design defects that could possibly increase the risk of fatal accidents. A total of nine people have lost their lives in two separate fatal accidents on the highway in the last couple of months alone. A highway doesn’t necessarily need to have obstructions, lack barriers or signs, or have malfunctioning lighting to be dangerous. A wide, straight and perfectly smooth highway can actually place motorists at a risk of accidents by lulling them into a false sense of security. Motorists on roads like these could actually find themselves losing concentration, which is always dangerous. Besides, a road can also be dangerous if it has a poor design that includes steep curves and sharp turns. Absence of barriers and signage can mislead motorists, and increase the risk of accidents. Inadequate or malfunctioning lighting can pose visibility problems, increasing the risk of a car crash. Authorities who are responsible for making enhancements to road safety often have to consider a number of factors, including the traffic and pedestrian volumes in the area, the site’s accident record etc. This means that a dangerous road could actually see several serious accidents before enhancements are finally made.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of car accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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