Accident shows that even a moment of inattention can be life changing
On October 15, a moment of inattention on the part of big rig truck driver led to a freeway accident in Riverside CA that damaged five cars and sent three people to the hospital.
According to California Highway Patrol officials, the truck driver, Leonardo Rodriguez, admitted that he took his eyes off the road to look for a water bottle. When he looked back to the road, he discovered traffic had slowed and it was too late to stop his 1996 Freightliner.
The result was a multi-vehicle accident involving four other vehicles. First, the truck rear-ended a sedan driven by 18-year-old Celeste Torres. Torres’ vehicle then hit a pickup truck driven by 36-year-old Kenneth Turney. The big rig also hit a Chevy Camaro driven by 29-year-old Mark Kent and a Suburban driven by 47-year-old Antonio Cardenas, before coming to rest on top of a sedan, trapping its driver, 23-year-old Kiston Williams, inside the vehicle.
Williams was the worst injured and was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. Cardenas, whose vehicle rolled over after being struck by the truck, was also hurt though his injuries were not life-threatening. At this time Torres is only reported to have sustained moderate injuries but the fact that her vehicle sustained two impacts (one when she was rear-ended by the big rig and one when she rear-ended the pickup in front of her) seems to make a serious whiplash injury likely.
Victims Should Call a Riverside CA Car Accident Attorney ASAP
The road to recovery will likely be difficult for many of the victims injured in this accident. However, there is a bit of a bright side here in that seeking compensation for their injuries, pain, and suffering should not be too difficult.
First of all, the fact that the California Highway Patrol has announced that the accident was caused by distracted driving on the part of the trucker seems to indicate that liability in the accident is very clear. There should not be any need for the victims or their attorneys to spend time proving who did what to cause the accident or defeating arguments alleging that one of the victims actually contributed to their own injuries somehow.
Secondly, the fact that a commercial vehicle was involved promises ample compensation for all victims. Commercial drivers tend to carry more insurance coverage than private individuals, and if this coverage is inadequate it may be possible to file a claim against the driver and his employer for additional compensation. While the driver may not have additional resources of his own, his employer may have additional umbrella coverage that could help cover victims’ costs, or, at the very least, additional assets and resources for the courts to tap if a judgment is won against the company.
Because the trucking company will no doubt retain their own attorney in this case, it is even more important than usual for the victims to retain their own Riverside CA car accident attorney. This way, they will have their own skilled advocate working to ensure full and fair compensation is received for their injuries.
