Lodi, California – A collision between a propane truck and a car unfolded on Thursday morning, resulting in one fatality. The incident occurred at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Highway 12, located approximately 10 miles west of Lodi, California, near the intersection of Highway 12 and North Guard Road.
The California Highway Patrol’s Stockton office responded to reports of the collision. Preliminary investigations reveal that a propane truck collided with a car. The initial collision occurred when the driver of the propane truck allegedly failed to see the car in its path, resulting in a collision. Subsequently, the propane truck crashed into a 30,000-gallon propane tank.
First responders arrived at the scene to find the car overturned and engulfed in flames. At this time, the identity of the deceased party has not been confirmed, and further investigations are underway to determine the circumstances of the accident.
Truck Accidents Resulting in Death are a Plague on Our Roadways, Innocent Motorist Must be Protected
Accidents involving commercial vehicles and passenger cars are a reoccurring problem plaguing our roadways. According to the IIHS, 4,714 people were killed in accidents involving large trucks in 2021, a 17% increase compared with 2020. Only 16% of these deaths were the occupants of the large truck. There are many reasons these accidents happen. However, they often boil down to driver error or negligence on the part of the trucking company.
Accidents such as this often occur when the truck driver is distracted by a phone or other electronic device. We recently handled a case where a family pulled out in front of a truck as it approached an intersection. During the initial investigation, the responding officers concluded that the family was responsible for the crash. However, after we conducted our investigation, we determined the trucker had plenty of time to slow down or move to the right to avoid hitting the back corner of our client’s car. However, because the trucker was using his phone, he failed to recognize the danger ahead and swerved to the left at the last minute, causing a near head-on collision with our client.
While the trucker has an obligation to exercise extreme care while driving on public roadways, the trucking company also has a duty to ensure its drivers are properly trained and follow the training they receive. Trucking companies that put unsafe drivers on the roadway must account for the harm that occurs because of their driver’s errors.
This is a bigger problem than people often realize. We recently handled a case where the trucking company placed a driver on the road who had received little training in operating a commercial vehicle and had failed two drug tests in the preceding years. The driver was wholly unqualified to drive a commercial vehicle. The driver, as expected, created a highly dangerous situation when he parked his truck on the left shoulder next to a moving lane of traffic in hours of darkness. Our client’s husband later crashed into the truck, taking his life.
Like these examples, there are often errors on the part of the trucking company and its driver that lead to accidents such as this one. The family injured here deserves to know what happened leading up to the crash and the opportunity to hold the wrongdoers accountable for the suffering they must endure by the loss of their loved one.
The purpose of the law is to ensure the family receives whatever justice is available and that the wrongdoers change their actions. This helps prevent future accidents from occurring and provides the grieving family with the financial compensation they need to move forward in their lives.
This is a terrible crash that will need to be investigated by trained professionals. Until then, I offer my condolences to the family of the deceased and pray for peace in their lives during this difficult time of loss.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in workplace accident cases with extensive experience in workers’ compensation settlements.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is included in this post.
