Near Santa Clarita, California, nine big rigs were involved in a recent accident on the truck route near the Newhall Pass. According to the local ABC station, the crash happened on the southbound 5 Freeway at the 14 bound Freeway connector. About nine big rigs were involved in the catastrophe, which was made up of two separate crashes near each other. The beginning of the calamity occurred when a dump truck lost control and crashed, causing four big rigs to rear end each other behind the swerving vehicle. As a result of the four massive vehicles crashing through the pass, another three big rigs got into a crash of their own, starting a chain reaction as more and more trucks came up upon the scene of the accident too quickly and collided.
The massive trucks were overturned and strewn all over the road. The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning as many of the truckers were trying to get a start on their morning route before traffic hit. One driver in a truck was trapped for two hours in the cab and finally rescued just about 6 a.m. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but is expected to survive and is in stable condition. About 40 gallons of diesel fuel spilled out onto the road at the scene of the accident, but the police do not believe that the spill is serious enough to create a hazmat situation.
The crews expected that it would take several hours to clean up the scene of the accident and that traffic would be slow because all trucks would have to take the main highway lanes instead of using the jammed truck route. The initial cause of the crash remains under investigation. Police believe that the driver in the dump truck may have been speeding and lost control because the roads were slippery from a light rain. If you have been injured in a commercial truck accident and need compensation for your injuries, hire a personal injury attorney like the lawyers at Shea & Shea. At our San Jose firm, we are dedicated to helping you work through your case with dedication and hard work.
We will fight for you and show the court why you deserve compensation for your injuries. If you were in a commercial vehicle, you may also be eligible for worker’s compensation which will cover your medical bills and the damages to your vehicle as a result of the accident. In addition to making sure that you get adequate reimbursement for your pain and suffering from your company, you may be able to litigate against the truck that instigated the accident.