Rig hits 8 cars on California highway

The disparity in weight between a big rig and the average car can mean devastating effects when one collides with the other. This happened recently when a big rig plowed into several other cars on Highway 152 in California. A total of nine vehicles were involved in the serious car accident, which forced closure of the highway between Central and Silicon valleys recently.

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol are still looking into the causes of the crash. Journalists have noted that it is strikingly similar to another crash that happened earlier in the month in the Bay Area. That crash, which occurred near Los Gatos on Highway 17, also involved a big rig hitting several cars. A driver died in that accident.

This most recent accident happened around 5:25 p.m. when the tractor-trailer was headed westbound on Highway 152. As it neared the Ferguson Road intersection, it encountered substantial traffic. The driver of the rig could not stop in time and hit the cars. It then went into eastbound oncoming traffic and hit more cars. Eight cars were involved in the wreck.

The rig went into a field on the side of the roadway, dragging a sedan with it. Both caught fire. Although the rig driver was rescued by passersby, the sedan driver died. That driver’s identity has not been released since authorities must first notify the next of kin of the deceased.

The driver in this case was treated for his injuries. He was not arrested, but the investigation by California Highway Patrol officers continues and determinations in the case still need to be made. Others in California car accidents may want to seek treatment for their injuries and pursue their legal rights in the civil court system with the help of a knowledgeable auto accident lawyer.

Source: Contra Costa Times, “Gilroy: CHP investigates 8-car rig crash that kills motorist and forced overnight closure of Highway 152” Robert Salonga and Joe Rodriguez, Jul. 22, 2014