Truck Collisions

Los Angeles Big Rig Truck Accident Causes Injury

January 9, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A truck driver was injured earlier today when his big rig truck fell from the 118 freeway overpass onto the 5 freeway. From photos of the incident, provided by the Los Angeles Daily News, the big rig truck appears to be blocking all lanes of the northbound 5 freeway. Fortunately, the driver of the truck was not trapped in the vehicle.

The driver of the big rig truck in the Los Angeles truck accident was taken to the hospital to receive medical care for his truck accident injuries. Amazingly, given the nature of this incident, it is surprising that there are no other injuries reported from the truck crash in Los Angeles.

So far, the cause of the Los Angeles truck accident has not yet been disclosed and may not be known. It is very possible that the rainy conditions throughout Southern California, which began yesterday, contributed to causing the wreck. Continue Reading

Woman Dies in Tragic Santa Clarita Accident

November 6, 2017 | by Robert Walch

On Saturday, a woman was killed when her vehicle was rear ended by a truck. The Santa Clarita truck accident occurred at about 5:08pm, when the truck slammed into the rear of the woman’s vehicle, pushing her vehicle into a bus. One passenger on the bus was also injured in the Santa Clarita accident.

According to the Daily News, the woman who died was named Marie Davis. She was 67 years old and lived in Canyon Country, California. Unfortunately, Ms. Davis’ smaller car posed no match for the much bigger truck, which was also pulling a trailer at the time of the wrongful death accident. There does not appear to be any suggestion that the driver of the bus contributed to causing this collision, but this is something that should be examined.

As of now, it has not yet been reported what caused the truck to rear end the vehicle. Oftentimes rear end accidents like this happen due to inattention by a driver, sometimes because of texting or other distractions. When the driver sees that vehicles have stopped up ahead, it can just be too late to stop in time. Here, the truck would require more time to stop because of the trailer hitched to the back. The driver may not have been taking that into account.

Fatal Long Beach Accident

June 8, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Early on the morning of May 20^th, around 2:40 a.m., reports came in of a crash near Clark Avenue and Eagle Street in Long Beach. CBS News reports that the passenger in a truck was killed when the truck’s driver—suspected to be under the influence of alcohol—slammed the truck into a utility pole.

Once officers from the Long Beach Police Department arrived at the scene, they found two passengers still inside the truck. Officers pulled one passenger, who was unconscious, out of the truck and began administering CPR. Paramedics later arrived and pronounced the passenger dead at the scene. The other passenger was taken to the hospital.

Shortly after arriving at the scene of the Long Beach truck accident, officers also found the driver after a helpful witness identified him. He was walking away from the scene when the authorities caught up with him. He was also taken to the hospital with critical injuries. Authorities suspect that the driver was under the influence.

Semi-truck and Car Crash in Chino Kills One

June 2, 2017 | by Robert Walch

According to the Daily Bulletin, just before 2 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, 2017, a semi-truck drifted towards the shoulder of the eastbound 60 Freeway in Chino, California. The truck then hit several guardrail posts and slammed into the Mountain Avenue bridge cement wall.

A second vehicle then crashed into the truck and ended up on the bottom of the off-ramp. Both the semi-truck and the vehicle caught on fire. The driver of the vehicle was ejected from his car. Paramedics arrived at the scene and brought him to the hospital, but he unfortunately died from his truck accident injuries.

California Big Rig Crash Kills Four in Desert Center

May 31, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A tragic accident on Memorial Day killed four people approximately 20 miles north of Desert Center in Riverside County, California. A witness called in to report the accident at 3:11 p.m. According to an eyewitness who spoke to the Los Angeles Times, a car was traveling southbound on the two-lane Highway 177 when it crossed over the center line, seemingly in an attempt to pass traffic. It then slammed head-on into a big rig truck. Six California Highway Patrol officers and 11 Riverside County Fire Department and Cal Fire/Riverside firefighters were sent to the scene of the Riverside truck accident.

Officers found three individuals dead at the scene. A fourth person was extricated from the car and then airlifted to Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The crash had caused a large cloud of dust and debris to rise into the air and the spilling of diesel fuel all over the road. The eyewitness—Brian Mumey, a retired U.S. Army infantryman—said he treated the driver, who was the only person alive when he arrived. He noted that there was a group of trucks and RVs returning from Memorial Day events pulling boats, and that many cars were trying to pass them, including the car involved in the accident.

Five-Vehicle Crash Kills Man in Bakersfield

April 7, 2017 | by Robert Walch

According to The Tribune, a semi-truck driver hauling grain mush from Firestone Walker Brewing Company was traveling east on Highway 46 around 2 pm on March 31st, when his truck began drifting onto the shoulder. The driver—Charles S. Celaya of Wyoming, tried to bring his truck back onto the road on a right-hand curve. As he did so, his big rig crossed over the divider in the center of the highway and clipped a Dodge Dakota. The clipped Dodge crashed into a Ford F-150 and a Honda Odyssey.

Apparently, the big rig then collided headfirst with a GMC Sierra that had been driving in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, according to police, the GMC driver—68-year-old Jesus Acebedo of Bakersfield—was killed from blunt force trauma in this big rig truck accident.

The police investigation appears to be ongoing; as of now, law enforcement does not believe that drugs or alcohol played a role in this accident. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the family of the GMC’s driver may be able to make a wrongful death claim against the operator of the big rig truck. We highly recommend that the family hire a California personal injury attorney who is familiar with handling wrongful death cases, to investigate the circumstances of the accident and determine whether such a claim exists.

Perris, California Woman Killed in Blythe Truck Accident

February 24, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A young woman from Perris, California who was injured in a truck accident on the I10 Freeway in Blythe on Monday, later died on Saturday, February 18, 2017. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office stated that Barbara Emard, just 28 years of age, died Saturday at 1:22 p.m. at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Riverside County. According to the Patch.com, last Monday evening Ms. Emard had pulled her 1998 Ford Expedition vehicle onto the shoulder of the eastbound I10 Freeway at about 11 p.m.

Ms. Emard allegedly was beginning to accelerate back into the traffic lanes of the I10 freeway when apparently the front tire of a nearby 2006 Freightliner semi truck blew-out. As a result, the truck apparently lost control, veered to its right and struck the Ford expedition.

Palm Desert Tour Bus Collision With 13 Deaths Update – USA Holiday Bus Driver and Owner, Elias Vides, Had Many Prior Safety Violations, Accidents and Citations

October 25, 2016 | by Robert Walch

Elias Vides, the well liked owner, operator and driver of the tour bus that crashed into the rear of a big rig truck on Sunday, October 23, 2016, killing 13 people, including himself, and injuring 31, not surprisingly to our team of lawyers had many prior safety violations, traffic tickets and lawsuits filed against him for prior bus versus car accidents alleging deaths and injuries.

According to data obtained from the federal government, the bus drove 68,780 miles in 2015 and the company had been in business for five years. Statistics show that the more miles and time one drives, clearly the more likelihood of accidents, collisions and traffic violations.

As previously reported in our blogs, the tour bus was traveling back from the Red Earth Casino in Thermal, near Salton Sea, on the I10 Freeway towards the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Olympic Boulevard located in the Koreatown community of Los Angeles, California, when it violently rear ended the big rig truck in front of it.

Thirteen people died and will have California wrongful death claims, including driver Vides (age 59) and 13 passengers. 31 people were injured, including the driver of the big rig truck, identified as Bruce Guilford, age 50, a resident of Covington, Georgia, that was rear ended by the tour bus.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Vides had been sued at least twice for negligence after collisions between his bus and other vehicles. One of these collisions allegedly resulted in the deaths of three (3) persons in another vehicle.

NTSB Launches Investigation into USA Holiday Desert Hot Springs Tour Bus Collision Which Killed 13

October 24, 2016 | by Robert Walch

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that it had launched an investigation into the horrific tour bus accident which killed 13 and injured at least 31 others this past Sunday morning, October 23, 1016, at approximately 5:17 a.m. in Desert Hot Springs, California.

The NTSB has sent a “Go To Team” to Desert Hot Springs to investigate the causes of this collision. For more information about the NTSB, simply click here.

The tour bus, allegedly owned and operated by USA Holiday, was returning from the Red Earth Casino in Thermal near the Salton Sea, traveling westbound on the I10 Freeway, with its destination in Los Angeles, in the Koreatown area, at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. Many of its passengers were asleep when the tour bus allegedly rammed into and crashed into the rear of a big rig truck. Apparently the tour bus was traveling so fast and the impact was so violent that one-third of the bus was crushed.

13 People Killed in Palm Springs Tour Bus Accident

October 23, 2016 | by Robert Walch

A tragic bus accident in Palm Springs this morning caused the deaths of 14 people and left over 30 people with injuries. The Palm Springs bus accident occurred at about five o’clock in the morning on Interstate 10, near Indian Canyon Road.

According to LAIST.COM, the tour bus slammed into the rear of a big rig truck, which crushed the front end of the bus. Of the 31 injured people, five are reported to be in critical condition.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash, but based on photos of the scene, it appears the bus was traveling at a high speed when it struck the big rig truck. Most likely the bus driver and bus company, USA Holiday, will be found responsible for the crash and will have to pay for the wrongful death and injury claims. If the big rig truck driver did anything negligent to cause the crash, the truck company may also have to pay extensive damages.

Our California personal injury lawyers handle bus accident injury and wrongful death claims throughout the state of California. Recently, attorney Robert Walch went to arbitration on a Northern California bus accident case and won over $350,000 for his injured client. That client sustained arm injuries and scarring from broken glass from the bus.