BMW hangs perilously over the edge of a freeway bridge over a ravine in Buellton, CA after semi truck knocked it through the concrete railing. Photo credit: Keyt.com

Buellton is located in Santa Barbara County, California on the Pacific coast in the south west part of the state about 345 miles southeast of Santa Rosa, 280 miles southeast of San Leandro, 189 miles southeast of Salinas and 43 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.

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Buellton, which is more well known for its split pea soup, was the scene of a dramatic rescue to save the lives of a San Juan Capistrano, CA family that was trapped in their car that was dangling over the edge of the bridge.

The accident happened around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012 in the the 101 freeway in Buellton, CA on a bridge over a creek about .7 of a mile south of Santa Rosa Rd.

Map showing location of semi truck accident near Buellton, CA on the northbound 101 freeway on a creek overpass about .7 mile south of the Santa Rosa Rd. Exit.

The BMW was traveling northbound on U.S. 101 in the left lane and was struck by an 18 wheeler that came up on the right. The crash pushed the BMW through the concrete railing and the big rig went over the edge into the creek below, then burst into flames.

The occupants of the car were a 36 year-old mother, her 10 year-old daughter and 10-week old infant. Unfortunately, the truck driver perished in the accident, his tractor-trailer fully engulfed in flames in the creek bed below.

The accident damaged the bridges in both directions of traffic. A group of Navy Seabees happened to be stuck in traffic on the southbound side. The Seabees sprung into action and used a forklift to support the car and keep it from falling and allow rescue personnel to safely extract the occupants.

An article in the Keyt.com website reported on the story:

Santa Barbara County Firefighters, with an eight engine response team, arrived on scene to find a big rig truck fully engulfed in flames at the bottom of a creek. Kelli Groves, 36, her daughter 10-year old Sage and 10-week-old infant, Milo, all of San Juan Capistrano, were trapped inside their BMW, dangling off the side of a bridge

The big rig driver, who died at the scene, was identified as Charles Arthur Allison Jr., 48 years old, from Grover Beach, CA. The occupants of the BMW were Kelli Groves, 36 years old, her daughter Sage, 10 years old and her 10-week-old baby, Milo.

They were transported to a hospital in Santa Barbara, where they were reported to have “sustained broken bones and moderate injuries.” No other details are available as to their injuries or their condition.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) closed down 101 traffic in both directions until the rescue was complete and the accident scene was cleared.

It was reported that about 50 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled into the creek below. Hazmat personnel were called in to deal with the hazardous materials.

The cause of the accident is not known at this time but is currently under investigation. Investigators do not know why the big rig lost control and swerved into the BMW, crashed through the concrete rail and plunged 50 feet into the creek below.

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Charred remains of an 18 wheeler after smashing into the concrete support of an overpass and bursting into flames on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 in Manteca, CA.

Manteca is located in San Joaquin County, California in the central part of the state about 64 miles southeast of Concord, 62 miles southeast of Sacramento and 51 miles northeast of Hayward.

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The fiery crash separated the cab from the tractor trailer and sent it along with the truck driver across the highway where it came to rest on the other side of the road.

The accident occurred around 10:00 a.m. on the southbound Highway 99 at the Louise Ave overpass in Manteca. The tractor trailer sideswiped a Honda sedan just north of the overpass, then went across the highway and into the grassy median.

Map showing location of fiery semi truck accident on Highway 99 in Manteca, CA at the Louise Ave overpass.

The big rig then went out of control and hit a bridge support on the overpass which severed the cab and sent it skidding across the northbound lanes where it finally came to rest on the ground next to the bridge and off the northbound roadway.

A Courageous and Compassionate Medical Assistant Helps The Injured Trucker

The truck burst into flames sending a column of thick black smoke into the sky. The driver remained in the severed cab with a bleeding head wound. Sandra Gardere, a 34 year-old medical assistant from Manteca, happened to be driving on the highway at the time.

She pulled over and sprung into action tending to the truck driver’s injuries and fearlessly stayed with him while a fire was erupting only yards away. She stayed by his side the whole time, never leaving him and applied presssure to his wound with a towel and kept him conscious by talking with him until emergency medics arrived and airlifted him to the hospital.

An article in the Stockton Record website reported on the dramatic story:

“He had a huge gash above his right eye that was just bleeding all over the place,” said Sandra Gardere of Manteca. “He almost lost consciousness a few times, … and as this was going on, the tires were burning and exploding, and I was hoping it wasn’t the gas tank.”

The trucker, 56 year-old Anthony Mata, was transported by air ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, CA, where he was reported to be in serious condition.

The driver of the Honda that was sideswiped by the big rig was reported to be unharmed.

Cal Trans officials examined the overpass and bridge supports to determine if any structural damage had occurred to the overpass. According to officials, the damage was cosmetic. The bridge structure was determined to be sound but repairs would have to be made.

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Map showing location of fatal dump truck accident in the 4600 block of Pacheco Blvd in Martinez, CA on August 31, 2011.

The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol said the accident occurred just after 10 a.m. at a work site in the 4600 block of Pacheco Boulevard in unincorporated Martinez.

Mercury News reports:

State investigators are probing the death of a Concord man in a dump-truck accident Wednesday, authorities said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said detectives determined there was no criminal aspect to the accident, and that investigators from the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health have been summoned to investigate.

This comes on the heels of an accident Monday off Vasco Road, near the Contra Costa-Alameda County line, in which 52-year-old Fred Telford of Hilmar was killed when his bulldozer tipped over and rolled over him. Cal-OSHA is also investigating that death.

Truck Accidents 360 is a truck accident attorney news blog that reports on up to date truck accidents, truck accident attorneys and legal news across the United States. Since trucking laws are governed by hundreds of regulations, it is important to consult with truck accident lawyers who know the trucking laws for each state. Find out more information about Los Angeles truck accident lawyers.

California, due to its high population and vast highway system, has a high incident of big rig truck accidents. California metropolitan cities besides Los Angeles with a high incident of truck accidents and vehicle collision resulting in severe personal injuries and even death include Compton, Concord, Corona, Costa Mesa, Culver City and Escondido to name a few.

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Amtrak’s California Zephyr was en route from Chicago to Emeryville, Calif., with some 200 passengers and 14 crew members when the accident occurred late Friday morning about 300 miles east of its destination.

The truck driver has been identified as 43-year-old Lawrence Ruben Valli and published reports suggest Valli had six moving violations since 2008; including three tickets for speeding while driving a school bus in Lake Tahoe. There was a speeding ticket while driving an 18 wheeler rig in Alabama; and tickets in California for not wearing a seat belt and talking on a cell phone.

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Valli’s cell phone was obtained by investigators who have sent it to a lab in Washington, D.C. for analysis.

”The tractor remains imbedded in the side of the rail car,” the NTSB’s Earl Weener told reporters during a news conference Monday night. The big rig involved in the accident was longer and heavier than the law normally allows. But the company, John Davis Trucking, got a waiver that put a truck and two trailers on the road that weighed almost 50,000 pounds.

FOX40 News reports:

The NTSB may have also uncovered an explanation for the fireball that followed the crash.  ”We are working to understand the amount of fuel that was in the two saddle tanks.  The tanks had a maximum capacity of 110 gallons each,” Weener says.

Federal officials are also rebuilding the crossing signal in an effort to determine how far away the flashing lights can be seen.  The crossing arm reportedly drops 25 seconds before the train passes.  But an onboard camera and data recorder only confirm the crossing signal was working.  ”The horn and bell are in use prior to and through the crossing.   The crossing gates are shown to be in the down position as the train approaches and passes.”

It’s not known how fast the truck was moving, but the speed limit on Highway 95 is 70 miles an hour.  The NTSB couldn’t say how long it would take a truck like that to stop. But some estimates indicate at least 300 feet; and skid marks suggest the truck may have traveled farther than that.  ”That video shows the weather to be clear, visibility to be unrestricted, no sight obstructions in the area near the crossing.”

Investigators have asked John Davis Trucking for all the background information they have on Valli.  That will include driving violations, employment records and medical history.  The Nevada Highway Patrol has already supplied what it has including medical information according to Weener.

For some unknown reason Valli lost his Nevada drivers license sometime between 2002 and 2005; only to obtain a commercial drivers license in October of 2009.

The NTSB expects to remain at the crash site for another week, with a preliminary report due in about 30 days.

Comments:

Truck accident lawyers, Gordon, Elias & Seely say that there is tremendous difference in size and weight between trucks or 18 wheelers and automobiles often result in death or permanent and serious personal injuries. A big rig or 18 wheeler usually weighs in excess of 80,000 pounds and the tractor trailer combination may be over 70 feet long, therefore, its stopping distance takes far longer than a car. Too often, catastrophic and fatal accidents are caused by the negligence of the truck driver, evidenced by:

• Inattentiveness to construction zone signs or changes in traffic
• Driver distractions
• Following too closely
• Other human errors [fatigue, drunk driving, DUI, etc.]

Truck Accidents 360 is a truck accident attorney directory that also reports on up to date truck accidents across the United States. Since trucking laws are governed by hundreds of regulations, consult with an expert who knows the trucking laws for each state. Find information about California truck accident lawyers.
Metropolitan cities with a high incident of big rig, semi truck and 18 wheeler accidents include Chesterfield, Irvine, Long Beach, University City, Riverside and San Diego to name a few.

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Police and broadcast media reported that 63-year old Kelly Shimizu was in a marked crosswalk around 10:40 a.m when she was hit by a big rig that was turning from westbound Santa Monica Blvd onto the northbound 405 Freeway.

Shimizu was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 64-year-old truck driver, who has not been identified, did not stop. When the driver made a turn, one of the trailers attached to his 1990 Volvo tractor struck Shimizu. The truck driver has been identided asa resident of Whittier, California. The city of Whittier is located 12 miles southwest of Baldwin Park.

By law motorists are required to yield right-of-way to pedestrians walking in marked or unmarked crosswalks.

“Investigators do not believe there was any crime involved; there was no evidence of alcohol or drug intoxication,” LAPD said in a statement. “The collision appears to be a tragic accident.”

The incident remains under investigation.

Truck Accidents 360 is a truck accident attorney news blog that reports on up to date truck accidents and truck accident attorneys across the United States. Find information about Los Angeles truck accident lawyers and Beverly Hills truck accident lawyers

On Monday afternoon 50 year old Juan Ardina of Gonzales, CA was driving a 2000 KW semi tanker south on Highway 101 through Santa Clara County, CA. The 18 wheeler truck was carrying a load of approximately 43,000 pounds of liquid molten wax in its tanker section.

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The truck accident occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon as the semi trailer truck moved near the city of Morgan Hill, south of San Jose, CA. As the semi driver took a curve on the highway between the exits for Cochrane Road and Bailey Avenue, just south of Coyote Creek Golf Drive the tanker truck apparently went off balance.

The out of control semi truck skidded on the highway, cutting deep gorges into the surface of the road. The semi truck tipped and then rolled over onto its side, crashing onto the highway. The flipped tanker trailer ended up sprawled across Highway 101 blocking two of the four traffic lanes. The impact of the truck accident damaged the tanker section and an unspecified amount of the liquid molten wax spilled out onto the road surface.

No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

Emergency personnel from several communities rushed to the single vehicle crash site. The truck driver suffered minor injuries in the truck accident. He was treated and stabilized at the scene and then transported to a nearby hospital. Officials described his injuries as not life threatening.

The rollover truck accident caused immediate traffic problems just as the afternoon commuter period was starting up. The overturned tanker truck forced traffic on the four lane highway to use the far left lane, which quickly backed up traffic for miles. There are few alternate routes around the collision location so most drivers had to remain on Highway 101 and deal with long traffic jams.

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California Department of Transportation sent several crews to clean up the crash site and clear the traffic lanes. One crew worked to repair the deep gorges in the road surface created when the tanker truck went out of control. Another group cleaned up the spilled liquid wax off the highway.

The traffic situation began to ease up around 6:30 p.m., about 4 hours after the truck accident, when California Highway Patrol reopened one of the traffic lanes. The gorges on the road had been repaired and the lanes were once again safe enough for travel. The crashed semi tanker had been moved to the right-hand shoulder of Highway 101.

At about 10:00 p.m. Monday night another tanker was brought to the site and a crew transferred the molten wax that remained in the tanker section into the second truck. Once the tanker of the disabled truck was empty a tow truck would be brought in to get the semi back on its wheels and off the highway. The flipped tanker was finally removed from the highway around 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning about 12 hours after the initial truck accident.

CHP reconstructed the truck accident but have not made any determinations at this time. They do not believe drugs or alcohol were factors in the rollover crash. One theory is that the truck driver may have been driving unsafely just before the tanker flipped over.

No charges have been brought and the truck accident remains under investigation.

Truck Accidents 360 is a truck accident attorney directory that also reports on up to date truck accidents across the United States. Since trucking laws are governed by hundreds of regulations, it is important to consult with an expert truck accident lawyer who knows the trucking laws for each state. Find out more information about California truck accidents

CHP officers shut down a section of north U.S. Highway 101 while highway crews from Caltrans reported to the scene of the deadly collision to clear the traffic lanes.

At around midnight Friday an unidentified 65 year old truck driver from San Leandro, CA was driving a 2005 International tractor trailer truck north on Highway 101 through Santa Clara County, CA. The truck driver had picked up a cargo of broccoli in Salinas, CA and was transporting the trailer load north to Oakland, CA. The total weight of the trailer and the broccoli was believed to be about 80,000 pounds.

As the truck driver was going over the Sargent Road Overpass just north of the Pajaro River he attempted to make a maneuver and lost control of the 18 wheeler truck.

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According to authorities the trailer truck went off the highway onto the right shoulder and the driver may have overcorrected as he pulled the tractor trailer back onto the road. The semi truck careened across the highway and crashed into the metal guardrail running along the east side of the highway. The semi truck apparently went off balance and flipped onto its side and the trailer became separated from the cab. The trailer truck finally came to a rest across both of the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101.

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No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

California Highway Patrol officers and emergency personnel rushed to the scene of the truck accident. Unfortunately, the truck driver suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.

CHP officers shut down a section of north U.S. Highway 101 while highway crews from Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) reported to the scene of the deadly collision to clear the traffic lanes. A trailer truck was brought to the truck accident site and the load of broccoli was offloaded from the disabled truck onto the second semi trailer. It would take three heavy duty tow trucks to get the wrecked trailer truck back up on its wheels. Once upright the damaged tractor trailer was removed from the highway.

It would take three heavy duty tow trucks to get the wrecked trailer truck back up on its wheels. Once upright the damaged tractor trailer was removed from the highway.

Caltrans crews also worked to replace the metal guardrail that had been damaged in the truck accident. Workers used acetylene torches to cut off the section of crumpled guardrail so a new section could be installed.

The highway closures lasted for more than 10 hours after the truck accident causing delays in the Friday morning rush hour. Drivers were rerouted off U.S. Highway 101 around the disabled trailer truck while the highway crews worked and investigators conducted a reconstruction. Traffic was directed to leave Highway 101 at Highway 156 however those who did not take the detour found themselves stuck in jams that lasted up to nine hours. One of the highway’s northbound lanes was opened around 9:30 a.m. Friday morning and both lanes were finally opened at around 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon.

At this time officers have not determined the exact reason the truck driver lost control of the semi trailer and crashed into the guardrail. Alcohol may have been a factor but it will be several weeks before toxicology reports are completed. No charges have been made at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

CalTrans crews clean up debris on Highway 99 after chain reaction pileup in Turlock, CA

Turlock is in Stanislaus County, California in the central part of the state, about 14 miles southeast of Modesto, about 90 miles southeast of Sacramento, about 299 miles northwest of Los Angeles, about 419 miles northwest of San Diego, about 105 miles southeast of San Francisco, about 84 miles northwest of Fresno and about 352 miles northwest of San Bernardino.

The fatal semi truck accident occurred in the southbound lane of Highway 99 just south of Lander Road.

Location of chain reaction pileup of 3 big rigs just south of Lander Road on Highway 99

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), an 18 wheeler that previously pulled over to the right shoulder near Lander Road was merging back onto a traffic lane when a second semi truck slowed down to allow it to merge into the right lane. A third semi truck was fast approaching from the rear and the driver apparently didn’t notice what was happening ahead. The third big rig slammed into the back of the slowing truck just ahead of him.  The third semi truck exploded in flames killing the driver.

According to the CHP, the force of the impact crushed the cab of the third tractor-trailer inward about 15 feet and pushed the second big rig into the first. When the trucks caught fire it triggered a grass fire.

The extent of the injuries to the other two semi truck drivers was not clear and they told CHP officials that they would seek their own medical treatment. The CHP said that all three drivers were wearing their seat belts.

CalTrans crews use heavy equipment to clean up debris after 3 semi trucks crashed in Turlock, CA. Row of trees that runs beside the northbound Lander Road exit can be seen in the background.

Marcus Trask, 41 years old, from Selma, CA, was the driver of the first truck, a 2004 Sterling big rig.

Jaime Henriquez, 56 years old, from Fresno, CA was the driver of the second truck, a 2005 Freightliner.

The man who was driving the third semi truck, a 2007 Freightliner, died at the scene. The deceased driver was tentatively identified by officials from the Stanislaus County coroner’s office on Wednesday afternoon, but his name has not been disclosed pending the arrival of dental records.

Crews were cleaning up debris on the roadway that resulted from the badly mangled wreckage. CalTrans crews had to bring in heavy equipment to clean up the charred wreckage.

The chain reaction pileup disrupted traffic for several hours on Highway 99. As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, only one of the southbound lanes was opened but by 11 a.m. all the lanes of highway 99 were finally cleared.

It is not known whether or not alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.

The fire burned for over an hour creating black plumes of smoke which could be seen for miles.

At around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday evening an ARCO double tanker truck was traveling on Palm Avenue just east of Interstate 805. The semi tanker truck was carrying about 8,700 gallons of gasoline split between the two tankers. The tanker is owned by BP (British Petroleum) and was reportedly transporting fuel to a local ARCO station.

When the truck driver reached the intersection of Palm Avenue and Dennery Road he attempted to make a left hand turn onto Dennery. The driver may have been going too fast as he negotiated the turn and the back tanker on the truck flipped over onto its side. The impact of the rollover truck accident damaged the tanker and it exploded into flames. The front tanker on the truck was able to remain upright.

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