Semi-truck carrying multiple tons of produce overturned along Highway 101 in Ventura early Thursday morning
In the early morning hours on Thursday, September 15, 2022, a semi-truck partially drove off the highway and overturned near California Street and Highway 101 in Ventura, CA. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) the incident occurred at 3:30 a.m., southbound on Highway 101, when the semi truck overturned.
The accident blocked both lanes of the highway, and reopened hours later at 9:20 a.m.
The driver escaped with only minor injuries, and the exact cause is still being investigated.
The truck was carrying 70,000 pounds of produce when it went off the road and landed partially on the street below the overpass.
While the official cause of the accident has not been determined yet, there are many possible explanations, some of which are discussed below.
A plausible reason for why this truck overturned was due to the driver’s fatigue. Truckers often use normal sleeping hours to reach strict deadlines that take them all across the country.
Semi trucks may be hauling upwards of 80,000 pounds if fully loaded. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the incident described above, but oftentimes, this is not the case.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), as much as 13% of commercial truckers are fatigued at the moment of a collision. Add to the fact that it’s unnatural for the body to be in a state of work in the middle of the night, so it’s quite possible that fatigue was a factor. Research suggests that trucker fatigue is a contributing influence for up to 40% of all large truck accidents.
Being a trucker can be a physically demanding job that requires them to be on alert while sitting for extended periods of time. However, this doesn’t mean that being fatigued while behind the wheel is acceptable, as it’s ultimately the responsibility of the trucker to make sure they are not too tired to safely operate such vast vehicles. In the event of a crash between a truck and a standard car, tragedy can ensue. Because trucks are hauling more weight and size, they have more force of impact if a collision were to occur.
But the trucker may not be the only party who shares liability in the accident. Trucking companies may also be responsible for an accident. While you may not imagine this to be true, since it was the trucker themselves who was driving, a trucking company may be at-fault if they encouraged the driver to violate regulations, failed to perform repairs and maintenance, or did not properly run a background check or train a new hire. A trucking company that allowed a dangerous or untrained driver to get on the road could be partially liable for victim’s injuries, property damage, and other loss.
Furthermore, there are times when another driver entirely could have been the cause of a truck accident. Such as in the case above, perhaps another driver was being reckless and cut the trucker off so quickly that they had to swerve off the road to avoid a collision. Truck accidents can unfold in a split second, so determining exactly how another driver may have contributed to it can be difficult, especially if the driver kept going and was not identified. For more information about truck law in the area you reside, contact Truck Law today.