Truck Collisions

8 Car Collision on 101 Freeway Leaves Truck Driver Dead

June 17, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Jose Antonio Avelar, a 48 year old dump truck driver from Sylmar, California, died in a multi-vehicle accident on the 101 freeway on Wednesday, near Camarillo Springs Road. According to witnesses, the 101 freeway accident was caused by Avelar, who allegedly was speeding and was unable to stop before colliding with another dump truck, which caused the 8 car accident in Camarillo, California.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the dump truck that Avelar was driving was loaded with asphalt, which may have contributed to his inability to stop in time. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that, besides Avelar, there were no other major injuries in the Camarillo car accident.

Accident investigators will likely look into whether Avelar had appropriate licenses and training to operate the cement truck and determine who owned the vehicle. Any people injured in the Camarillo truck accident may make a personal injury claim against the owner of the vehicle that caused the accident, which will likely have a commercial insurance policy. Fortunately for any injured parties, commercial policies are usually larger than private person policies, so they should be able to seek and recover the full amount of their damages from this truck accident on the 101 freeway.

Lawsuit Filed After Big Rig Truck Crash Wrongful Death

March 23, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Marcos Costa, a truck driver who is facing murder charges for a California truck accident in April of 2009, has filed suit against Los Angeles County, the California Department of Transportation and the City of La Cañada, alleging that improper maintenance of the Angeles Crest Highway caused the fatal truck accident.

An attorney for Caltrans has called Mr. Costa’s claim “frivolous” and says that the truck accident leading to the wrongful death of two people was caused by Costa, who was driving his truck with a defective braking system and because Costa allegedly did not follow the rules for trucks on California highways.

In his lawsuit, Mr. Costa, a native of Brazil, is asking for “$500,000 for property damage, loss of liberty due to criminal proceedings and ‘oppression, mental duress, stress and mental trauma’.”

The La Cañada Flintridge truck accident killed two people after the big rig truck went out of control. Mr. Costa says there should have been an emergency truck lane for out of control trucks. Costa also claims that the Angeles Crest Highway is a high accident zone and he cited seven prior truck crashes at the intersection. He claims that these prior accidents should have put the government entities on notice of the danger.

California Truck Accident Spills Beef in the Cajon Pass

March 22, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A big rig truck accident in California yesterday, in the Cajon Pass, on Highway 138, spilled 35,000 pounds of frozen beef onto the freeway. Fortunately, the driver of the 18 wheeler truck was not injured in the accident and no other vehicles were impacted by the truck.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the California truck accident happened where the I-15 meets State Highway 138, and was likely caused by the wet conditions from the rain.

In Los Angeles County, there has been a serious increase in accidents due to the severe rain storm and weather conditions. The California Highway Patrol reported that there were 85 motor vehicle accidents in the short time between 5am and noon on Monday. This is in stark contrast to one week ago, where there were only 36 car accidents during the same time frame.

Wind Causes Big Rig Truck Accidents in San Bernardino

February 2, 2011 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, The California Highway Patrol has reported that the strong winds being experienced in San Bernardino, California, today, have caused five big rig trucks to overturn this morning.

The San Bernardino big rig truck accidents have caused lane closures on the 15 freeway as well as the 10 freeway in Rancho Cucamonga. The winds, which were as high as 58 miles per hour, also caused big rig trucks to overturn on the 10 freeway near the Etiwanda exit in Rancho Cucamonga and on the 60 freeway where Rancho Cucamonga meets Riverside.

Due to the danger from a big rig truck accident in San Bernardino, as well as the freeway closures and expected traffic delays, it is advisable to stay away from those areas today.

As readers of our blog know, California big rig truck accidents occur very frequently and often have disastrous effects. Due to their size and lack of maneuverability, it is advisable to keep a safe distance from big rig trucks whenever possible. Cases have shown that even a very small impact from a big rig truck can cause a much smaller car to lose control. Sometimes, the driver of the big rig truck will not even feel the impact, or he/she will claim as much.

Los Angeles Big Rig Truck Crash on 101 Freeway

February 1, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A major Los Angeles truck accident occurred this morning on the 101 freeway, closing most of the freeway and causing a SigAlert until 10 a.m. It has now emerged that the Los Angeles truck crash injuries may have been caused by a drunk driver driving the big rig.

The big rig truck, which was hauling two trailers that were filled with sand, hit a divider north of the 170 freeway split. According to eyewitnesses, the truck then hit numerous vehicles on the westbound side of the freeway, before bouncing back onto the eastbound lanes where it landed on top of a sport utility vehicle.

Due to their injuries from this Los Angeles big rig crash, the drivers of both the big rig and the sport utility vehicle were transported to the hospital. The Times reports that the injuries suffered by the driver of the SUV are major, but not fatal. Judging by the Los Angeles Times picture from the scene, it can be assumed the injuries are very serious and we wish the driver a full recovery.

Investigation will show if the driver of the truck was intoxicated at the time of the Los Angeles truck collision. If he was in fact drunk, or under the influence of other substances, it can be expected that criminal charges will be filed against the driver.

Walch Selected Personal Injury Attorney of the Year 2010

January 24, 2011 | by Robert Walch

We are extremely proud to announce that a member of our firm, Gary Walch, was selected Personal Injury Attorney of the Year for 2010 by the Editorial Staff of the Consumer Business Review.

Gary has been an attorney since 1975, graduating from UCLA summa cum laude (with highest honors) and then the UCLA School of Law.

During his legal career of successfully handling thousands of serious injury claims in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino counties he has resolved claims for many millions of dollars for his clients.

California Truck Crash Causes Serious Injury on Interstate 5

January 7, 2011 | by Robert Walch

On Thursday afternoon, a California truck collision on Interstate 5, near the Grapevine, seriously injured at least one person and caused a traffic backlog.

The person who suffered major injuries in this big rig truck crash in California was transported by air to a Bakersfield hospital. Investigators with the California Highway Patrol said the truck accident occurred when two big rig trucks collided with each other. It is unclear if any other vehicles were involved.

The investigators added that they suspect the California truck accident may have been caused by a mechanical problem with one of the trucks.

If a mechanical problem caused this California truck collision injury, the victim may be able to make a products liability claim against the makers of the big rig truck that had the problem. Additionally, if the driver of one of the trucks acted negligently, there would potentially be a more standard personal injury claim against that driver and the company he/she works for. Because of the reports of a possible serious or catastrophic injury involved, the fact that the big rig truck company should carry a larger commercial insurance policy should aid in recovering damages to any injured parties.

In addition, because the big rig truck drivers are likely working while they are driving, they may have a California workers compensation claim against their employers.

California Truck Crash Injures 3, Caused by Black Ice

December 30, 2010 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, several big rig trucks apparently skidded on very dangerous black ice, causing the trucks to crash and overturn. Los Angeles County firefighters transported three people to hospital with currently unknown injuries, as a result of the California truck collision.

The California Highway Patrol has closed part of the 138 freeway near Interstate 5, in Gorman, California, as a result of one of the overturned big rigs. There is also fuel that has spilled onto the road, causing an increased danger to commuters.

California California Highway Patrol officer, Ed Jacobs, stated that the California truck accident was probably caused by drivers driving too fast over black ice. Black ice, according to Wikipedia, is “a thin coating of glazed ice on a surface.” Because the ice is not truly black, it is more transparent in appearance, drivers often do not know it is there until it is too late and they have been in a car accident.

Black ice is not only dangerous to drivers, but it can be potentially hazardous to people walking in an affected area, due to the possibility of a slip and fall accident. Many people do not realize quite how slippery the black ice can be.

Los Angeles Big Rig Accident on 101 to 110 Interchange

December 10, 2010 | by Robert Walch

In an all too common occurrence, a big rig truck overturned this morning on the connector from the 101 to the 110 freeway. In a more unusual circumstance, the big rig was carrying 42,000 pounds of Christmas trees. The Los Angeles truck accident happened at about 4:30 this morning and the closure at the crash site is expected until about noon today.

Very fortunately, no injuries have been reported in this big rig accident in Los Angeles. It is well known that, due to their sheer size, big rig collisions can be far more dangerous than other types of automobile accidents and drivers should take extra precaution when driving near a big rig truck.

When a truck collides with a car, the injuries to the car’s passengers are often very severe. It is necessary to find an experienced Los Angeles attorney who can help obtain the best medical care possible as well as conduct the investigation necessary to prove the case.

Big Rig Crash on 210 Freeway

December 7, 2010 | by Robert Walch

Today, an irresponsible driver of a big rig, apparently let his unlicensed son drive the truck so that he could take a nap. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. This truck crash on the 210 freeway will cause delays well into the afternoon.

Unfortunately, many truckers are overworked and try to push too many hours of driving into their days. This leads to many truck collisions in Los Angeles and its surrounding areas.

Due to their massive sizes, big rigs pose an extra danger to commuters on the roads and freeways in the greater Los Angeles area. When possible, it is usually best to keep an extra distance from big rigs to avoid a collision and potentially serious injuries.