A 22-year-old Diamond Bar man was killed and three others were seriously injured early Saturday in a multiple-vehicle big-rig crash on Highway 60 in Industry.
• A small car entered the freeway and was struck by a big-rig. That caused the car to spin out across the freeway, where it was hit by another big-rig. The car was forced into the center divider.
• An SUV then crashed into the rear of the second big-rig.
• The driver of the small car died at the scene. The SUV driver and one of the big-rig drivers suffered major injuries. The other big-rig driver sustained minor injuries.
The fatal accident occurred at 2:50 a.m., according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
California Highway Patrol officials said a 2003 Nissan 350Z driven by Jonathan Guzman Vaca entered the eastbound Highway 60 from southbound Azusa Avenue. After the Nissan got onto the freeway’s far right lane, it was struck by a big-rig.
The impact forced the Nissan into a spin. The vehicle slid across the freeway into the far left lane, where it was hit by another big-rig, the CHP report stated. The crash forced the Nissan to slam into the center divider.
Right after that, a 2000 Nissan Frontier SUV driven by a 33-year-old man from Pomona crashed into the rear of the second big-rig.
Vaca died at the scene.
The driver of the Nissan Frontier and one of the big-rig drivers — a 27-year-old man from Anaheim — suffered major injuries. Paramedics assisted them at the scene, and then they were taken to area hospitals to be treated. The exact nature and extent of their injuries was not released.
The other big-rig driver, a 64-year-old man from Fontana, sustained minor injuries. It was not clear whether he was hospitalized or treated and released at the scene.
Officials closed all but one lane of the freeway while they cleared the scene and investigated the accident. No one was arrested.
Truck Accidents Are Often Fatal
In 2009, 3,163 people died in crashes involving big-rigs, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Only 14 percent of these deaths were truck drivers or their passengers — 70 percent were passenger vehicle occupants. The remainder were were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists.
The numbers are even more lopsided in crashes involving just one passenger vehicle and one big-rig. A whopping 98 percent of the deaths in those accidents were people in the passenger vehicles.
Large trucks were involved in 9 percent of all motor vehicle accident fatalities and 20 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes.
Statistics also seem to indicate that younger truck drivers are at greater risk of being involved in accidents.
Braking Distances for Trucks vs. Automobiles
Stopping distance is much longer for heavy trucks than for automobiles. In addition to the physics involved, braking equipment can play a role in how long it takes a truck to come to a stop. In the past, inspections showed that out-of-adjustment brakes were the most common reason authorities ordered trucks out of service, according to the IIHS report.
In July 2009, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration issued a rule decreasing the maximum stopping distances for air-braked trucks by 30 percent. The rule went effect in August of this year for three-axle tractors with a gross weight of 59,600 pounds or less. Two-axle tractors and tractors with a gross weight above 59,600 pounds have until August 2013 to meet the reduced stopping distance requirements.
California Truck Accident Lawyers
The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented truck accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.
