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Yuba City Woman Killed in Truck Accident

A fatal truck accident on Highway 99 has left a woman dead and her husband seriously injured. According to news reports, the woman and her husband were on Highway 99 South of Yuba City, when a tractor-trailer crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into the vehicle.

The 57-year-old woman was killed instantly in the crash. Her husband, who was riding in the backseat, suffered multiple broken bones, and was rushed to a local hospital. He’s believed to be recovering. Another passenger in the car suffered injuries, including a ruptured spleen and a collapsed lung. He was airlifted to the hospital. The fatal truck accident occurred on Monday.

California Highway Patrol officers are talking to witnesses. They have also spoken to the driver of the big rig. According to him, he had been swerving to avoid a van that tried to cut him off. In doing so, he lost control of the rig, and crashed into the victim’s Volkswagen. The California Highway Patrol has not been able to confirm if the big rig driver’s account of events, is accurate.

There’s little chance that a motorist has of escaping serious injuries or death when his car is involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler or a tractor-trailer. These massive vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and even when they’re traveling at normal speeds can pack enough power to cause serious damage to a vehicle and its occupants. In fact, in an overwhelming majority of accidents involving a small passenger vehicle and tractor-trailers, it’s the occupants of the smaller vehicle that are at the highest risk of injuries or death.

It’s the reason why federal and state agencies have such strict regulations on the drivers and operators of these rigs. Federal rules are mostly contained in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations for commercial motor vehicles. These rules govern a number of factors, including driver fatigue, use of alcohol and drugs, truck maintenance as well as other factors that can impact truck safety.

As California truck accident lawyers see, there are a number of factors that can be responsible for truck accident. Many accidents occur when the driver fails to notice a motorist because he falls into the trucker’s blind spot. It’s important for motorists to understand that because a truck driver is in an elevated position in the cab, he may be unable to see motorists right behind him, or in other positions in his blind spot. This can often lead to tragic accidents.

Many accidents are caused by truck drivers who are speeding, fatigued or distracted. Tractor-trailer drivers must obey speed limits that are lower than the limits for passenger vehicles, and drivers are required to stick to these. The federal administration recently banned the practice of texting while driving for all drivers of commercial trucks and buses. This was done to ease accident risks caused by distracted drivers. Other accidents are caused by drivers who have not had enough rest, and have been driving for too long and in a tired state.

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

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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