Truck Collisions

Truck Driver Injured in South Gate Train Accident

September 30, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A South Gate train accident occurred this morning when a truck was struck by a freight train. The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries in the South Gate train crash, which also resulted in a vegetable oil spill. According to the Los Angeles Times, although a team was called in for potentially hazardous material, the oil spill was considered nontoxic and there did not appear to be any threat to the general public.

South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the Los Angeles train accident. According to a spokesperson for Union Pacific, the operator of the train, the truck driver caused the Los Angeles truck crash with the train when he allegedly tried to get over the tracks before the train.

Driver Killed in Santa Clarita Big Rig Truck Accident

August 29, 2011 | by Robert Walch

The driver of a big rig truck was killed after the truck overturned in a Santa Clarita truck accident. The Los Angeles Times reports that the big rig truck accident in Santa Clarita occurred on the 5 Freeway. The Santa Clarita truck crash left a fuel spill over many lanes of the 5 Freeway.

The California Highway Patrol claimed that the truck driver passed away at the scene of the Santa Clarita big rig truck accident. There were no immediate reports of what caused this California truck accident death and if any other vehicles were involved.

Driver Convicted in Truck Accident Deaths on Angeles Crest Highway

July 29, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Marcos Costa, the Brazilian truck driver who was blamed for a tragic truck accident on Angeles Crest Highway, has been convicted of vehicular manslaughter, for the death of two Palmdale residents who were in a bookstore when they were hit by the big rig truck.

In addition to the two people who died in the La Cañada Flintridge truck accident, other vehicles were also hit by the truck. The jury found Costa not guilty on the 2nd degree murder charges he faced, which would have carried much steeper prison sentences.

According to the Los Angeles Times and Glendale News Press, criminal charges were filed in the truck accident case because the driver allegedly ignored warnings about the brakes on the truck and also went down a steep path that was not appropriate for big rig trucks. Costa was also convicted of reckless driving causing injury.

Update: Los Angeles Yoshinoya Tow Truck Crash Injures 7 – Video

July 28, 2011 | by Robert Walch

According to Fox 11 News, the Los Angeles Yoshinoya tow truck crash, which occurred at approximately 10:40 this morning, resulted in injuries to at least seven people, who were treated by paramedics. Five of those injured in the Los Angeles truck crash into Yoshinoya were taken to nearby hospitals, including the person who suffered very serious injuries.

Click here to see video from Fox 11 News in Los Angeles, showing the tow truck partly inside Koreatown Yoshinoya restaurant after the accident. The video shows that the tow truck was carrying a small red pick up truck at the time of the Yoshinoya truck crash.

Koreatown Yoshinoya Restaurant Crash in Los Angeles Injures 6

July 28, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A serious Los Angeles car accident occurred this morning in Koreatown, when a tow truck crashed into a Yoshinoya restaurant, injuring six people. One of the victims of the Koreatown Yoshinoya accident is listed in critical condition and four others were taken to hospital.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a witness said that the driver of the tow truck, which was a flat bed truck, apologized for the Koreatown accident at Yoshinoya, and claimed that the brakes on his truck failed. A dental clinic, which is located above the Yoshinoya restaurant, had to be closed due to the incident and possible structural damage to the building. The Yoshinoya restaurant and dental clinic are located at the intersection of Beverly Blvd. and Normandie Ave.

Man Killed in Freeway Truck Accident in Anaheim

July 17, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A freeway truck accident in Anaheim early Sunday morning has resulted in the death of a male passenger and caused injuries to the driver of the truck. According to the California Highway Patrol, a truck crashed into another car on the 5 freeway in Anaheim, causing the truck to careen into the freeway guardrail and then overturn.

It is unknown which vehicle caused the Anaheim truck accident or if the occupant(s) of the car were injured. What is known is that the driver of the truck sustained injuries and was being treated at UC Irvine Medical Center, and the passenger of the truck was killed in the Anaheim wrongful death truck accident.

The truck accident in Anaheim caused three lanes to be blocked on the southbound 5 freeway, but due to Carmageddon, there was not much of a traffic backlog.

New Details Emerge in Nevada Amtrak Train Crash

June 29, 2011 | by Robert Walch

It has emerged that the truck driver who allegedly caused the Nevada Amtrak train crash has been cited multiple times in various states. These citations were for violations including a 2007 truck accident wherein he rear ended a Toyota on the freeway, causing injuries to a family, and tickets for speeding and driving with a cell phone in his hand.

There was also an Amtrak train crash lawsuit filed this week by an Amtrak train attendant, against Lawrence Valli, the truck driver, and John Davis Trucking, the presumed owner of the vehicle and the company that employed Valli.

The personal injury attorney for the train attendant claims that Valli was negligent and careless in failing to follow the road signs, causing this truck-train crash and the resultant injuries and damages to his client. The attorney also claims that after reviewing Valli’s record and the record of the trucking company, that Valli should not have been driving this truck at the time of the Amtrak train accident.

Nevada Truck Accident with Amtrak Train – Update

June 28, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Although previous reports said four people died in the Amtrak train accident with the big rig truck in Nevada, that number has been revised to six deaths, including the truck driver and the train conductor. The number of missing people, however, has been reduced from 28 to five.

The Amtrak train crash, which happened 70 miles east of Reno, Nevada, appears to have been caused by the either the truck driver or problems with the truck. The trucking company, John Davis Trucking Company Incorporated, based in Battle Mountain, Nevada, has been cited 17 times for having faulty equipment and has had two other crashes since 2009. Those cases involved a truck operating with bald tires and another truck with defective or missing springs.

San Dimas Freeway Accident Kills 3 Women

June 27, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Three women were killed this morning in a tragic freeway accident in San Dimas, California. According to the Los Angeles Times, the three women were inside a vehicle that collided with a big rig truck on the 57 freeway, at about 2:45 a.m. The vehicle was overturned as a result of the San Dimas truck accident and the women were pinned inside and died at the scene.

As a result of the San Dimas accident, all of the lanes on the southbound 57 freeway were closed, as well as the east and westbound transitions for the 210 freeway. After 7:00 a.m. this morning, all lanes were reopened to vehicle traffic.

The California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the deadly accident, has not yet determined the cause of the San Dimas wrongful death accident.

Amtrak Truck Accident in Nevada Kills 4, Injures Scores

June 25, 2011 | by Robert Walch

An Amtrak Train, headed to Emeryville, California from Chicago, Illinois, was struck last night by a semitrailer truck near Reno, Nevada in a tragic truck versus train accident. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Amtrak train accident in Nevada killed four people, including the driver of the truck, and over 20 people had to be taken to hospitals.

According to witnesses, the driver of the truck apparently tried to stop before colliding with the side of the train, but was unable to do so in time. Witnesses also reported that the warning gates and lights at the crossing were working at the time of the Nevada Amtrak train accident.

It is unknown at this time why the big rig truck driver was unable to stop before colliding with the Amtrak train, but possible reasons could be malfunctioning brakes, inattentive driving, lack of visibility, or speeds that were just unsafe for conditions.