UNHITCHED TRAILER COMES DETACHED FROM TRUCK AND KILLED MAN NEAR WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA
A runaway trailer on the San Gabriel River Freeway (605) caused a four vehicle crash in Baldwin Park, CA. The collision occurred when a trailer became unhitched from a Ford F-350 truck and bounced across a center highway divider and into oncoming traffic. One driver, a man from Rancho Cucamonga, suffered a death at the scene due to severe head injuries when a tire from the loose trailer flew into his car’s windshield. The impact from the debris caused the victim to lose control of his car and slide into the center dividing wall.
Common tow-trailer accidents are often unexpected causes of highway accidents (see February 22, 2008 blog). Often, these tragic incidents are the result of negligence on the part of a trailer owner who failed to secure safety latches or inspect the equipment for wear and tear. More often than not, trailer owners are not made aware of the safety risks that this type of everyday-use equipment poses. For additional information on safely towing equipment, please refer to the user guide published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/Equipment/towing/Towing.pdf). The State of California Department of Motor Vehicle also publishes helpful tips on how to safely attach a trailer (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648pt12.htm).
If you have suffered injury from a car accident in California caused by loose debris from a tow trailer or even a runaway trailer, please call us at the Law Offices of Greenberg & Rudman LLP (1-800-ALAWPRO) 1-800-252-9776 for a free consultation about your rights. We are experience personal injury attorneys who are here to help you.
