A 28-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle accident Thursday night after he rode into some ladders that were strewn on a San Jose freeway and was thrown at a moving car.
• A motorcyclist was traveling at freeway speed at night when he suddenly came upon a set of fiberglass ladders that had been strewn onto the freeway and were blocking two lanes.
• The impact of the motorcycle hitting the ladders ejected the rider and threw him over two lanes, where he landed on the pavement in front of a moving car.
• The car could not avoid hitting the motorcyclist. He died at the scene.
The fatal freeway accident occurred shortly before 11 p.m., according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News.
The California Highway Patrol reported that 28-year-old Hoc Nguyen of San Jose was riding a 2009 Yamaha motorcycle in the fast lane of southbound U.S. 101 at the time of the accident. He was traveling at a speed of around 70 mph, the CHP said. It was dark.
Just south of Metcalf road, Nguyen came up on a set of orange fiberglass ladders that had been dropped onto the freeway and were partially blocking his lane and the lane to the right, the CHP reported. Nguyen did not have time or room to avoid riding over the strewn ladders.
The impact of the motorcycle hitting the ladders threw Nguyen off of the bike and hurled him two lanes to the right, where he landed on the pavement directly in front of an oncoming 2000 Honda, driven by a 63-year-old Gilroy man. The Honda struck the motorcyclist and then stayed at the scene, according to a report in the Gilroy Dispatch.
A witness stopped and dragged Nguyen over to the shoulder of the freeway. The witness administered CPR before San Jose police officers arrived and continued to try to revive the victim, the CHP reported. Unfortunately the motorcyclist did not survive his injuries. He was pronounced dead at 11:10 p.m., the CHP said.
The Honda driver was not injured. No arrests were made.
Officials closed southbound U.S. 101 traffic lanes for about an hour while they cleared the scene and collected evidence, including the orange ladders. CHP officer S. Parra urged anyone with information about the two orange fiberglass ladders and how or when they were left on the freeway to call the California HIghway Patrol at 408-848-2324.
Litter Causes Deadly Accidents
Litter is responsible for thousands of accidents on California roadways every year, according to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
In 2007 alone, Caltrans collected more than 140,000 cubic yards of trash — enough to fill a hole 1 mile long, 25-feet wide and nearly 30-feet deep.
The CHP has said that litter is not only a serious blight on the landscape, but a traffic safety issue and a threat to public safety. A state program called Don’t Trash California reported that Caltrans alone spends more than $41 million tax dollars every year — $55 million in 2007 alone — to collect and dispose of items carelessly dumped onto freeways and roads. The combined annual cost to all public agencies in California for litter prevention, clean up and disposal is $375.2 million.
Litter not only makes freeways unsafe, but also travels into storm drains where it can soak into groundwater and can flow into canals and streams as well as lakes, rivers and the ocean.
San Jose Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented motorcycle accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.
