Many truck accidents in the United States, including in Arizona, kill and injure people primarily because trucks are so much larger and heavier than other vehicles. The reasons for truck accidents vary, but include equipment failures and truck drivers who are inattentive to the road.
Either driver fatigue or shifting cargo may have lead to a recent early morning bus accident at an agricultural inspection station near Blythe, California, just west of the Arizona border. Four passengers aboard the bus bound for Los Angeles died when pipes on a semi-trailer apparently fell from the trailer and onto the roadway and across a median strip and into both the east- and westbound lanes. California Highway Patrol officers investigating the exact sequence of events are not sure whether the pipes hit the bus or whether the bus driver tried to avoid them and drove off the road. The bus overturned and traveled 10 to 15 yards down an embankment on its side. In addition to those killed, 24 people were injured and were taken to area hospitals by helicopter and ambulance. Two other vehicles were also involved in the accident, which closed traffic in both directions on I-10 for several hours.
Reports later that day indicate that the driver, who owns his own truck, had been cited 7 months earlier by the federal Department of Transportation for safety violations, including driving for more than 8 hours at a time, and was driving on an expired California truck registration.
The accident has undoubtedly left grieving families who must now plan for the future without their loved ones. One possible course of action they can follow is to seek damages from the truck driver and his company. Any victim in Arizona who needs compensation for medical and other expenses should consider consulting an attorney for immediate help.
Source: USA Today, “4 killed in truck, bus accident near Ariz. border,” Doug Stanglin, May 21, 2014