Semi Truck Accident Kills San Diego Resident

One person has been killed in an accident involving a tractor trailer in San Diego. The victim was driving a car alongside the large truck when the 18 wheeler overturned, crushing the car.

The victim, 33-year-old Gustavo Gracia, was driving a Lexus on a north San Diego County freeway yesterday. The truck seemed to have tipped over, and fallen on the sedan, crushing it instantly.  The truck driver sustained minor injuries in the accident. The sedan was completely wrecked, and it took five hours for clean up crews to remove the wreckage. According to the California Highway Patrol, drugs or alcohol do not appear to have played a part in the accident. Investigations into the crash are ongoing.

Investigations will likely look into the speed of the semi truck at the time it turned over. These accidents are often the result of driver error. Very often, California trucking accident lawyers see that truck rollovers are caused because of speeding trucks. A trucker doesn’t merely have to be going over the posted speed limits to be in grave danger of losing control over the truck. A driver, who is driving at speeds that are too high for the prevailing traffic and weather conditions, can also be at serious risk of an accident. Speed limits for trucks generally tend to be lower than speed limits for passenger vehicles. However, some states have begun to experiment with uniform speed limits for both commercial trucks and passenger vehicles. A trucker driving at excessive speeds will find it much harder to control a truck, when trying to to brake suddenly or swerve to avoid traffic.

A big rig overturning on a busy highway is not something we like to think about, but it actually happens much more often than we know.  Much of controlling a tractor trailer depends on maintaining the right balance, and when this balance shifts because of speeding and other behaviors, the consequences can be deadly not just for the trucker, but also for other motorists nearby.

A shift in loads can also cause an 18-wheeler to tip over. Loads must be properly secured to prevent a shift and a tip in balance. A trucker must make sure that loads are properly secured, and that the load doesn’t exceed the capacity of the truck.  A truck driver who drives negligently (making excessively sharp turns) may also be at risk of a rollover.

Whatever the reasons for a tip over, the consequences of a big rig overturning can be deadly, as we can see in this tragedy. Motorists in the vicinity have a high risk of being killed if they are unfortunate enough to be close enough to the truck. Besides, motorists who are behind or around the truck can also panic when the big rig overturns. Such panicked driving can quickly cause a multi-vehicle pileup. An overturned tractor trailer can also lead to the spilling of dozens of gallons of fuel on the highway, increasing the risk of an explosion or fire.

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 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.