Truck Accident in San Bernardino Kills Four, Injures Many

Most California drivers will tell you they get nervous when they share the roads with a big rig, and after the semi truck accident on Sunday on Interstate-40, it seems like that nervousness is justified. According to the Orange County Register, a total of four people were killed in a horrific pile up on I-40 that was caused by a big rig crashing into a Porsche.

In the Porsche was a prominent Fullerton surgeon, Dr. Stephen Wilson who has been working at St Jude’s Medical Center for more than 30 years. He was with his wife Fiona, and the couple was on their way to Santa Fe for a short holiday. It appears that a big rig rear-ended the Porsche, pushing it off the Interstate, and into the desert. Dr. Wilson’s was treated at a hospital for severe injuries. He and his family didn’t have time to focus on his injuries, however. They had to grieve for Fiona who was killed instantly in the truck accident.

The same big rig accident killed at least three other passengers in another car. The Ramirez family, Jose, Wendy, and Robert William were all from Canyon Lake, and were on their way to Nevada to attend a Western Region Clown Association Conference. Robert William was just 15-years-old. Their Toyota Avalon seems to have been pushed under another semi truck that was included in the pile up, after having been rear ended by another truck.

All in all, the accident involved a number of cars, as well as big rigs. With vehicles the size of these trucks involved in the crash, it’s no surprise that the fatalities were so many, and the injuries so severe. The scene of the car accident, California Highway Patrol officers say resembled a pile of wreckage, with several cars pushed under big trigs, and at least one truck ending up on top of a car.

According to CHP officials, they are still not sure what happened to cause a multi-vehicle collision like this. A Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team has been called in to investigate the accident. Police are now trying to piece together witness and survivor testimonies with skid marks on the ground, to ascertain the reasons for the truck accident. They are also looking into the possibility that weather conditions on that day, which were windy, could have played a part in causing the crash.

Since there are big rigs involved here, it would be worthwhile to look into how much of a factor speeding big rigs had a part to play in the crash. The California Highway Patrol might also want to look at the condition of the drivers who were behind the wheels of the big rigs. Were the windy conditions exacerbated by the carelessness of the drivers? Big rigs need to be handled much more carefully than an ordinary car. These massive machines can get out of control quicker in bad weather and road conditions, and can take longer to stop after the brakes have been applied, because of their gigantic bulk.

Unfortunately, all too often we see trucking companies sacrificing driver fitness and preparedness, for the sake of quick profits. Investigations into the roles of the semi trucks here may provide clues as to what caused this fatal truck accident.